malawi2854
House Bee
- Joined
- Nov 16, 2009
- Messages
- 205
- Reaction score
- 0
- Location
- Tonbridge, Kent
- Hive Type
- 14x12
- Number of Hives
- 5
Hello,
New beekeeper here... please be gentle.
My colony is doing well, under what appears to be a brilliant queen, they have brood on 5-6 frames, and are expanding well. They have almost an entire frame full of capped honey (which I'm not sure is normal!), and they have one frame which is pretty much empty, they are about 2/3 through drawing it out.
Ever since they went into the hive really, they seem to have been producing queen cups. This scares the hell out of me, but my Dad (who kept bees when I was younger) doesn't seem to think it's anything to worry about at all, and that it's perfectly normal for them to make them, and just not make use of them. He thinks I'm overreacting - but everything I've read tells me to fear queen cells like the plague!
Am I right in thinking that there are queen cups, which are just little goblet-shaped cells that they make, and aren't that much to worry about - and there are queen cells which are more peanut shaped, which will be used to raise a new queen, which SHOULD be worried about?
Or am I completely wrong on everything? I've very confused!
Also - just out of interest more than anything else - that frame of capped honey - it is almost all capped honey - it's a 14x12 frame, any idea how much (roughly) is in there?
Thanks!
New beekeeper here... please be gentle.
My colony is doing well, under what appears to be a brilliant queen, they have brood on 5-6 frames, and are expanding well. They have almost an entire frame full of capped honey (which I'm not sure is normal!), and they have one frame which is pretty much empty, they are about 2/3 through drawing it out.
Ever since they went into the hive really, they seem to have been producing queen cups. This scares the hell out of me, but my Dad (who kept bees when I was younger) doesn't seem to think it's anything to worry about at all, and that it's perfectly normal for them to make them, and just not make use of them. He thinks I'm overreacting - but everything I've read tells me to fear queen cells like the plague!
Am I right in thinking that there are queen cups, which are just little goblet-shaped cells that they make, and aren't that much to worry about - and there are queen cells which are more peanut shaped, which will be used to raise a new queen, which SHOULD be worried about?
Or am I completely wrong on everything? I've very confused!
Also - just out of interest more than anything else - that frame of capped honey - it is almost all capped honey - it's a 14x12 frame, any idea how much (roughly) is in there?
Thanks!