Queenless colony...with new queen cell.

[rae]

I am stumped on this one, any help gratefully received.

We had a colony that went Q- at some stage between October 2010 and March this year. Apart from that, the colony wintered well.

When we realised they were Q-, they got an entire super of brood (eggs + larvae + sealed) merged onto them from a neighbouring hive (queen on the wrong side of the excluder at that hive)

A week later, there was a big fat queen cell in the super.. Result. Wait three weeks.

So we inspect today. There is no sign of the queen cell in the super. There is no brood (drone or worker). There is no sign of a queen. But...there are now three queen cells at the bottom of one of the brood frames. All uncapped, with larvae in them. They look like good, big queen cells.

Otherwise, the hive is fine, loads of stores and pollen.

How did that happen?! Immaculate conception?

 

[dickbowyer]

I have had HM go through a QE on two occasions this year - slim lass!

 

[RoseCottage]

Sounds like you have a queen that has now mated.
So week 1 you got a queen cell from the eggs(up to day 9 I think for sealing) then a week later (day 15/16) a virgin queen emerges. A week later she goes on a mating flight and starts laying. A week later swarm cells...due for sealing in a couple of days.

I think it fits...

Sam

 

[rae]

But I have no brood at all. If she has gone and got mated, all she has done is lay three eggs which have been turned into queen cells! I don't think the hive is anything like strong enough to turn swarmy.

 

[For want of a better word]

But I have no brood at all. If she has gone and got mated, all she has done is lay three eggs which have been turned into queen cells! I don't think the hive is anything like strong enough to turn swarmy.

Don't you believe it.... ? Carniolians??????

 

[Hivemaker.]

Laying workers.

 

[rae]

A small update.

We have three hives with queen trouble - two that lost queens over the winter, and one that decided to supercede in early April.

We were inspecting a 14x12 nuc yesterday that was part of an artificial swarm, and the frame with a queen cell had several. As we inspected, we noticed that they were emerging. A quick sprint for a matchbox, and the first one was put on the top of the frames of a queenless hive. She was welcomed with open arms by the residents, much rubbing of antennae and cautious greeting. She vanished sedately between two frames followed by a small retinue.

Back to the nuc, and another had emerged. She was popped in the box and taken to the hive that had superceded and apparently failed. The reaction was very different - an immediate fight with a worker, and more workers quickly piled in. She (luckily) appeared again on the top of the frames, and was put back in the matchbox. We then went to the hive I was posting about, and she was run in. No real reaction, it but they didn't immediately jump on her, so we're hoping for the best.

Back to the nuc, and we had two cells left. We think it has cast a bit, so we decided to reduce to one. Option 1: a very large cell that had a rather strangely shaped end. Option 2: a smaller cell, but perfectly formed. We went with Option 2, and pulled out the large cell with the strange end. There was a dead worker inside it! Looking at the cell, it would appear that someone emerged, a dead worker was shoved inside, and the cap was stuck back on. Slackers in the sanitation department....

Things I have learnt today:

- A matchbox is a vital piece of bee keeping equipment
- I need more nuc boxes, it would be nice to make smaller nucs, and spread the queen cells more widely. More options....

 

[susbees]

A properly fed queen larva pupates leaving excess royal jelly in the cell. On hatching worker sees free meal. Along comes another worker, sees a QC that needs sealing. Entombed worker results.

 

[Rory]

Will a Queen cell be produced from an egg/larva produced by a laying worker?

 

[oliver90owner]

Will a Queen cell be produced from an egg/larva produced by a laying worker?

'Could be' but wouldn't be any good. Needs to be diploid.

RAB

 

[Teemore]

Re: Queen cells produced from a laying worker egg - Has anyone ever come across a Drone hatched out of a Queen Cell? Would the colony catch on that it was a drone in the cell and terminate it?