Rogue queen cell in the "wrong" place...

[Norvic_chris]

What do you make of this? I’ve just found a well-developed Q cell on a super frame, above the Q excluder. It’s not sealed but is c3.5cm long in the centre of the frame and contains royal jelly. Not checked yet to see if it has a genuine occupant.

What’s odd about this is that the queen is definitely in the brood box, laying well below the Q Ex, and there is no other brood and no eggs in the super. I could find no other Q cells in the brood either, so unsure if they’re thinking of swarming. It’s a fairly strong hive (6.5 frames of brood), last year’s Q, 2 supers about half full.

I’m not particularly worried, just curious as to what they might be up to; are they practising, have they cunningly moved one egg above the Q Ex to where there is more space (!), are they just playing practical jokes on me?!

I’m interested in your thoughts.

 

[masterBK]

Mark Winston on page 182 of his book 'Honeybee biology' writes that “most of the eggs in queen cups are laid by the queen but workers can and do move a small number of fertilised eggs or young larvae from worker cells into queen cups”

 

[Tom Bick]

I found a nice well formed charged queen cell this year on a super frame and quite a surprise. I removed it but later thought I should have left it as I am sure it was a result of a laying worker and it would have failed.

I think in your case as you say the cell is about 3.5cm would surgest all is not right with the cell.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

worker are forever building QC's in supers but they never come to anything as there's no queen to lay in it.

 

[beeno]

I found a nice well formed charged queen cell this year on a super frame and quite a surprise. I removed it but later thought I should have left it as I am sure it was a result of a laying worker and it would have failed.

I think in your case as you say the cell is about 3.5cm would surgest all is not right with the cell.

 

[Norvic_chris]

Thanks all -- Tom Bick and beeno: I cut the cell out on the basis it might be a bit dodgy (the official beekeeping term, I understand)! Probably overkill on my part if it was going to come to nothing (jenkinsbrynmair). masterBK: I had also read that eggs can be moved (hence my comment) but really didn't want a queen hatching out above the QEx (presuming it came out normal). I'll now just hope that it wasn't a 'real' QC and full of a wonderful potential queen to replace the one that's going to leave tomorrow morning while I'm at work. Nothing like beekeeping to bring out the pessimism in me!!

But thank you as I feel much more reassured.