Queen Cell Hatched but new queen cells

[Tabby15]

My first ever hive swarmed last Friday (in the morning - I was planning to split it in the afternoon - oh well!)
Anyway on inspection of the remainder we found three queen cells, knocked down two and left one. I carefully checked mid week and it had not yet hatched.
Today we did inspection and it had hatched but no sign of the queen (we went through twice but I know that may mean nothing) There were no eggs but there were three more queen cells. The bees were also quite bad tempered which I think indicates there is no queen?
Does this mean the queen failed? Does this mean they will be "afterthought" queens. I have knocked one down but left two (as leaving one seems not to have worked)

 

[oliver90owner]

I carefully checked mid week and it had not yet hatched.

It would not have - unless you were planning to split after the queen cells were capped!

There were no eggs but there were three more queen cells.

Err, there wouldn't be any after a week, would there?

Does this mean the queen failed?

Probably not. Likely you hve missed her. Could have gone with a cast (but a bit early for that). You now run the risk of a scrubby queen (after a cast) or nothing.

I would now be demareeing the other colony for a good supercedure cell if the worst happens. In the meantime you might find it worthwhile reading up on the life cycle of the honey bee with particular attention to the reproduction of the super-organism as you seem, to me, to be a bit thin on basic beekeeping knowledge.

RAB

 

[Tabby15]

You know I appreciate you taking the time to reply but I have been beekeeping for 8 weeks now so perhaps a bit less sarcasm would not have gone amiss. How do you expect new people to be encouraged? I went on a beekeeping course last year. I did not get my bees until late April this year. Yes I am learning. Yes I need to learn more. Preferably from those with patience to teach me. Not from those with a superior attitude.

 

[Hebeegeebee]

As you should know, bees swarm when the first queencell is sealed or as soon thereafter as the weather allows. The new queen will emerge 8 days after sealing. It will be 2 or 3 weeks before she is mated and is laying eggs.

 

[Tabby15]

Thanks. I had not realised it would take so long for her to mate and start laying. Perhaps I should knock the other cells down then?

 

[Winker]

I must have missed something here, but I don't see any "superior attitude" In Rab's Post. He just gave his opinion, lighten up and you may learn something from him

 

[Hebeegeebee]

Thanks. I had not realised it would take so long for her to mate and start laying.

She's hardly out of the queencell! And won't fly for 5 - 6 days.

Did this not get covered on the course?

As RAB wrote, you do really need to do some reading!

 

[Tabby15]

What like how to make new beekeepers feel two inches high? I don't understand why there are more queen cells. I don't know what to do about them and I thought this was a friendly place to ask for help. I made a mistake about the queen not having laid yet. I thought there had been enough time. I would like help to know what to do and I don't know what demareeing is but presumably that is because I lack knowledge. So I am off to google it. Shame it could not have been clearly explained.

 

[yeogi75]

tabby
take it on the chin , and take it as given, as a thought provoking lesson, not meant with malice, just to make you find out more from books or studying to check why he said it that way. we've all gone thru and no doubt will again.

 

[Tabby15]

tabby
take it on the chin , and take it as given, as a thought provoking lesson, not meant with malice, just to make you find out more from books or studying to check why he said it that way. we've all gone thru and no doubt will again.

Thank you yeogi75. Appreciate that. Will do. i am finding it a very steep learning curve but had found the forums really useful - even got enough courage to take a swarm from friends garden on the Sunday after losing my bees. They are doing really well. Best quote or advice I found though was " experience in beekeeping is something you get after you need it"

 

[Winker]

What like how to make new beekeepers feel two inches high? I don't understand why there are more queen cells. I don't know what to do about them and I thought this was a friendly place to ask for help. I made a mistake about the queen not having laid yet. I thought there had been enough time. I would like help to know what to do and I don't know what demareeing is but presumably that is because I lack knowledge. So I am off to google it. Shame it could not have been clearly explained.

He gave you food for thought, he knows you don't understand everything and he gave you hints on what to research "reading up on the life cycle of the honey bee with particular attention to the reproduction" & " demareeing the other colony for a good supercedure cell "

Its much better for you to go seek the knowledge that you require rather than someone else give you their interpretation of what you need.

Have a look at the Dave Cushman site everything you will need is there and it is a good place to start and it can be found HERE

 

[Tabby15]

Thank you.

 

[HM Honey]

Hi Tabby, and welcome to the forum.

This is only my 2nd year and I lost two swarms this spring so I'm certainly not the best placed beek on here to offer advice about the bees as I'm still very raw myself.

I would like to offer a little advice about the forum though. I have had the same experience as you when I first joined. I asked questions that to me were perfectly good questions but to other more experienced beeks, probably came across as a bit thick and probably showed an unwillingness to research.

Most experienced beeks on here are fine and will look past that and offer good advice in a well mannered nature. Some will offer good advice but might come across as a bit condescending, then you might get inexperienced beeks who offer advice without really knowing what they are talking about.

Whatever type of advice you get, I would suggest you Just look past any interpreted sarcasm and only use the advice as a starting point. Use it to steer you in the right direction, not as your only option.

Do loads of reading and learn from your own mistakes as I hope i have. We all make them (even the experienced guys, although they wont want to admit it...lol), and finally, dont beat yourself up if you do make a mistake.

Dont consider it a failing.....consider it a chance to learn....

Oh, and dont stop asking questions. You'll suffer sharp responses, you'll suffer sarcasm, and people will tut at you sometimes and some will look down their noses but they have ALL been there (just remember that)

Good luck with your new hobby......

 

[Tabby15]

Thank you. Appreciate your advice. Love being a beekeeper (and a bee catcher based on the swarm experience!) i was inspired by my 90 year old beekeeping neighbour who was to be my mentor but sadly passed away. He left us all his hive equipment so trying to do our best to make it a success. Will do lots more reading and learning.

 

[TOBY-3652]

I must have missed something here, but I don't see any "superior attitude" In Rab's Post. He just gave his opinion, lighten up and you may learn something from him

 

[kevrhcfag]

My first ever hive swarmed last Friday (in the morning - I was planning to split it in the afternoon - oh well!)
Anyway on inspection of the remainder we found three queen cells, knocked down two and left one. I carefully checked mid week and it had not yet hatched.
Today we did inspection and it had hatched but no sign of the queen (we went through twice but I know that may mean nothing) There were no eggs but there were three more queen cells. The bees were also quite bad tempered which I think indicates there is no queen?
Does this mean the queen failed? Does this mean they will be "afterthought" queens. I have knocked one down but left two (as leaving one seems not to have worked)

Tabby been doing it a year and quite good at spotting queens but seem never able to find all the queen cells the little sods hide them all over the place, every time we have done it we thought we got them all and hadn't its just some are not so obvious when you do the cull, but are 5/6 days later. Last year I went through a nuc about 6 times very carefully and still couldn't find the queen, put 2 frames in and no queen cells so knew there was one somewhere, eventually found her but had convinced ourselves it was queenless.

Because you have been through twice doesn't mean there isn't a queen there, if you are anything like me it takes you a long time to get through a box, doing it twice using smoke and taking an age will make the bees tetchy anyway.

You have another hive (laying?) so no need to leave 2, likelyhood is one will kill the other or might be unlucky and get cast. The other worry is that if doesn't take the bees are getting older and may struggle to raise brood, if it doesn't work the other alternative is to buy a mated queen to introduce.

 

[beezers]

Good luck Tabby,I also find some replies quite curt when newbees ask questions. If your not in the gang you get in the ribs(notice the first name luvvies)

 

[Tabby15]

Thank you. We saw a test frame being put into a possibly queenless hive at our groups apiary meet on Saturday so I did wonder if we could do that if worse comes to worst. The other hive is a swarm I took on Sunday and queen is laying so might be able to do a test frame. in meantime Will look harder for queen.
Thank you too Beezer. Have had lots of support on pm too, saying similar things.

 

[Outlander]

Hi Tabby, and welcome to the forum.

This is only my 2nd year and I lost two swarms this spring so I'm certainly not the best placed beek on here to offer advice about the bees as I'm still very raw myself.

I would like to offer a little advice about the forum though. I have had the same experience as you when I first joined. I asked questions that to me were perfectly good questions but to other more experienced beeks, probably came across as a bit thick and probably showed an unwillingness to research.

Most experienced beeks on here are fine and will look past that and offer good advice in a well mannered nature. Some will offer good advice but might come across as a bit condescending, then you might get inexperienced beeks who offer advice without really knowing what they are talking about.

Whatever type of advice you get, I would suggest you Just look past any interpreted sarcasm and only use the advice as a starting point. Use it to steer you in the right direction, not as your only option.

Do loads of reading and learn from your own mistakes as I hope i have. We all make them (even the experienced guys, although they wont want to admit it...lol), and finally, dont beat yourself up if you do make a mistake.

Dont consider it a failing.....consider it a chance to learn....

Oh, and dont stop asking questions. You'll suffer sharp responses, you'll suffer sarcasm, and people will tut at you sometimes and some will look down their noses but they have ALL been there (just remember that)

Good luck with your new hobby......

 

[kathrynat]

I wouldn't worry too much about finding the queen at the moment. You say she may have hatched today, you need to give her some peace to go out and get mated. It took my queen 2 1/2 weeks from emergence to me seeing the first eggs. I've not seen her yet. I know it's difficult but you need to sit back and wait a while.
I thought beekeeping was a lovely relaxing hobby, how wrong I was. Constant worry
Enjoy