Queen cells

[casualman]

The books and this forum make it clear that it takes 8 days before a QC is sealed and the queen ill hatch on the 16th day. However if the bees raise a queen from an egg more than 1 day old e.g. 4 days old will the cell be sealed after 4 days i.e. does the time table for sealing a QC and the hatching of a queen dependant on the age of the egg when the bees determine to create a swarm cell? I mention this because I have had QC's hatch a few days prior to their due date.

 

[tonybloke]

The books and this forum make it clear that it takes 8 days before a QC is sealed and the queen ill hatch on the 16th day. However if the bees raise a queen from an egg more than 1 day old e.g. 4 days old will the cell be sealed after 4 days i.e. does the time table for sealing a QC and the hatching of a queen dependant on the age of the egg when the bees determine to create a swarm cell? I mention this because I have had QC's hatch a few days prior to their due date.

day 8 refers to the number of days from when the egg was laid. day 16 also is from the egg laid.

 

[casualman]

Do I infer from your reply that the egg will be sealed 8 days from the day the eggwas laid irrespective of how old the egg was when the bees determined to make a queen cell?

 

[Erichalfbee]

day 8 refers to the number of days from when the egg was laid. day 16 also is from the egg laid.

That's why you go into an AS 5/6 days after you did it to nobble the QCs the bees made sunsequently. They can raise these on 4 day old larvae so by those 5/6 days it is too late to make any more.

 

[Swarm]

As stated above, it refers to the timescale from laying to sealing, Erica explains the reason we return within 5 days.

 

[oliver90owner]

The books will tell you that eggs all hatch at three days - that is fertilised or unfertilised. That should be enough to make it clear.

A queen cell could be sealed only five days after the cell has been under construction. Work that one out.