Queen cup in super

[Mrs Soup]

Has anyone come across a queen cup in a super?

We checked the hive this afternoon. In addition to moving the honey from the bottom of 3 supers into the top which was on for cleaning they have built a queen cup in this now empty super. It the foundation had been cut away round the back so it was hanging straight down. There was no egg and HM was in the brood where she should be.

There's plenty of space in the brood box and lots of larvae, so what's this all about?

 

[MuswellMetro]

Has anyone come across a queen cup in a super?

We checked the hive this afternoon. In addition to moving the honey from the bottom of 3 supers into the top which was on for cleaning they have built a queen cup in this now empty super. It the foundation had been cut away round the back so it was hanging straight down. There was no egg and HM was in the brood where she should be.

There's plenty of space in the brood box and lots of larvae, so what's this all about?

quite common, lack of queen hormones reaching the workers in the super, do you want a photo of three just made by my bees, when i put the porter escapes in to clear off bee from the honey

 

[Mrs Soup]

Thanks for the prompt reply.

I was really just looking for some reassurance, as my mentor hadn't come across it before.

 

[winmag270]

quite common, lack of queen hormones reaching the workers in the super, do you want a photo of three just made by my bees, when i put the porter escapes in to clear off bee from the honey

happens sometimes, as does the odd brood cell in a super when an egg has been taken up for some reason best known....

 

[MuswellMetro]

this is some mine made yesterday, on clearing of honey after i used a rhombus to clear off the bees

i assume yours are similar

 

[broandy]

I have even had Queen cells in the super so that tells me the workers move eggs about.

 

[beebreeder]

or a damaged q/excluder, or a very slim queen

 

[MuswellMetro]

or a damaged q/excluder, or a very slim queen

mine are just play cups in the photo and i assume Mrs Soups are also playcup but more advanced, unless advised otherwise by Mrs Soup

they made these in 24 hours of the rhombus being on, must have felt isolated from the main brood

 

[Mrs Soup]

Thanks, yes these are similar to what I had, though I only had one.

 

[kazmcc]

MM, probably a really obvious answer, but why did you remove the frame before the honey was capped? New beek question

was it to just take the pic?

 

[MuswellMetro]

MM, probably a really obvious answer, but why did you remove the frame before the honey was capped? New beek question

was it to just take the pic?

KAZ

i have extracted the capped honey last week, and had replaced the frames in the super for two days for the bees to clean the last of the honey off the wet frames ( they also repair the frames were the cappings are cut off)

i then store the frames at home, but to do this i need to get the bees out, so i put on a one way bee rhombus escape ( you can you porter escapes but i can never get them to work it is a bit hit and miss)

so my bees in the day the rhombus was on, have no contact with the queen, so they feel they need to make play cups on the comb

interestingly the made play cup on the oldest dirty last years comb which had old pollen in it and not the white new comb

 

[kazmcc]

KAZ

i have extracted the capped honey last week, and had replaced the frames in the super for two days for the bees to clean the last of the honey off the wet frames ( they also repair the frames were the cappings are cut off)

i then store the frames at home, but to do this i need to get the bees out, so i put on a one way bee rhombus escape ( you can you porter escapes but i can never get them to work it is a bit hit and miss)

so my bees in the day the rhombus was on, have no contact with the queen, so they feel they need to make play cups on the comb

interestingly the made play cup on the oldest dirty last years comb which had old pollen in it and not the white new comb

Ahh, I knew there would be a straightforward answer. Thankls for explaining