scrub queen cups

RosieMc · Jun 3, 2011

Whatever else will go wrong this year!!!!

I already had 3 (presumably) queenless hives, probably due to exceedingly poor weather and the virgin Qs not being able to leave the hives to get mated. Now, disaster.

A local mentor with 50 years experience came to help me with the Q- hives - another story. Then we looked at my one remaining queenright hive. Beautiful - eggs, lavea, capped brood, stores. Then he noticed that the Q had not been marked. Caught her then marked her. As soon as she was put back on the frames the workers immediately balled her. No bother, he simply picked her up and put her on another frame some distance away.

That was 7 days ago. Now I do not see any eggs, just less than expected lavea. When looking a week ago there were NO Q cups, but now there must be at least 9 very small sealed Q cups which I presume are 'scrub' cups. These are approx just over half an inch long.

Any suggestions appreciated. If the bees can raise a Q from one of these, it will not be as painful to my pocket. Should I try to cover the sealed ends of the Q cups with tin foil to protect? I am expecting 2 min Warnholz hives from T***ns on Monday

I am already on the look out for three good quality mated native Qs

drstitson · Jun 3, 2011

why the hell risk handling your only proven queen in 4 hives? some mentor!

Midland Beek · Jun 3, 2011

Without us being able to actually see inside your colony, it nevertheless sounds very much as if they did eventually ball the queen and you have seen the resulting emergency queen cells.

However, this is actually the point at which you could get one 'trick' ahead of your bees and destroy those emergency queen cells before any of the queens emerge, and thus make your bees hopelessly queenless - be sure not to miss any. Better that than having a scrub queen that can't even fly and having your colony in some state of limbo when you are not sure at all what is going on. And then, of course, buy and introduce a new queen to a colony that you know is properly queenless.

Plenty of queens available for sale in the UK on a quick turnaround, eg. KBS.

RosieMc · Jun 3, 2011

Thank you Midland Beek. I have been trying to search for info on the viability/fertility of 'scrub queens' but can't see what I want. Perhaps I am using the wrong key words.

If these small sealed Q cups are emergency Qs, I presume that they are not as good as a Q raised from eggs. I am a little confused with your comment that '' scrub Qs can't even fly''. I did not know that.

As I have some Warnholz mini nucs coming on Monday, I may just try and cut a couple of these out, put some nurse bees in each of them and see what happens. It will be good practice and if I fail misserably, at least I have had the experience. Nothing lost.

Midland Beek · Jun 4, 2011

RosieMc said:
If these small sealed Q cups are emergency Qs, I presume that they are not as good as a Q raised from eggs. I am a little confused with your comment that '' scrub Qs can't even fly''. I did not know that. .

You might get lucky with an emergency queen. I am convinced that some do not mate because they can't even fly, and of course an unmated queen will become a drone laying queen only capable of laying unfertilzed eggs.

RosieMc said:
As I have some Warnholz mini nucs coming on Monday, I may just try and cut a couple of these out, put some nurse bees in each of them and see what happens. It will be good practice and if I fail misserably, at least I have had the experience. Nothing lost.

Will be a bit of a job to cut them out without damaging them, as they can go quite deep into the comb.

Best of luck ...

RosieMc · Jun 4, 2011

Midland Beek said:
You might get lucky with an emergency queen. I am convinced that some do not mate because they can't even fly, and of course an unmated queen will become a drone laying queen only capable of laying unfertilzed eggs.

Will be a bit of a job to cut them out without damaging them, as they can go quite deep into the comb.

Best of luck ...

Thanks - I will try and cut deep into the comb. Got a handy looking manicure kit and pen knife at the ready ....