Queen confusion

[lilybetbee]

Pleased to see my new Q had mated successfully and started laying, spotted her too - a big ginger Q - so popped that frame into an empty nuc box whilst I picked up my kit to mark her.
When I picked up the frame again a bee was hanging off her leg trying to sting her.
Moved that bee off and thought I was probably better to put her back in the hive rather than mess with her, I did and bees started to ball her. Fished her out again and put her back on the frame still sitting in the nuc box.
Bees started tending to her and everything seemed calm. Put the frame back and crossed my fingers.

Just put the crown board on when a large, dark Q flew down and landed on it. She was on her own and didn’t look newly mated. I went to pick her up but she flew up in the air again.
I back away and she landed again and was trying to get into the hive through the (covered) hole in the crown board. I moved the cover slightly and a bee came out and attacked her so she flew again.

Closed up and put the kettle on at this point.
Thoughts on what is going on?

 

[pargyle]

A lot of coincidences I think ... you probably won't get a definitive answer to this conundrum.

Best guess ...

1. Moving her out of the hive for a while confused them when you put her back in and then they realised they had made a mistake when you gave her back (Did you mark her or did you have marking paint or something smelly on your fingers that you could have transferred to the queen ?

2. The queen that few down .. supercedure returning from her mating flight and coming in at the wrong place in the hive confused them - did you check for any queen cells ?

Outside of that ... anybody's guess !

 

[beeno]

How did your "new queen" come about?

 

[lilybetbee]

They had superseded, I’d seen polished cells and the new Q a week ago, only saw eggs this week.
Could there have been a 2nd cell I’d missed and they had 2 which both mated and some aligned to each?
But that wouldn’t explain the flying Q
I’ve never seen anything this confusing.

 

[lilybetbee]

Should have said that my original Q was marked, neither were her.

 

[beeno]

I agree with you that you have missed a QC easily done. I have been taught put her back on the frame she was on now we know why. It is my view that the bees are in two camps and you disturbed their status quo. However, if the other queen tries to get in by the proper entrance where she is expected hopefully they let her in, but it is not a given, but fingers crossed. If the Q is out flying she is on mating flights. But you may find emergency queen cells if they did not let her in or killed her. Do not open hive between 1030hrs and 1830hrs when mating flights occur. Listen out for tooting. Very interesting situation keep us informed.

 

[pargyle]

They had superseded, I’d seen polished cells and the new Q a week ago, only saw eggs this week.
Could there have been a 2nd cell I’d missed and they had 2 which both mated and some aligned to each?
But that wouldn’t explain the flying Q
I’ve never seen anything this confusing.

I suspect that there were two queen cells - you found the queen from the first one that had emerged, had got mated and started laying. The one you found flying and trying to get back into the hive could have been delayed from emerging until the first queen started laying and then they let her out - normally you would expect her to be culled by the colony or the dominant queen - but she could have got away and what you witnessed was a return of her mating flight.

The other possibility is that the marking on your original queen has worn off (not unheard of this year) and they superceded and the queen you saw returning was the supercedure back from her mating flight ..

Between these and Beeno's theories ... could be any one of them and other possibilities.