small queen cell

[nuporter]

Hi- Ive got a hive that Im certain is queenless- I put in a frame of eggs from another hive and after a week- this frame was covered in queen cells- two of which were capped. However- all these queen cells are quite small (about 2/3 the size of a 'normal' queen cell). Ive removed all cells apart from one of the capped ones- and was going to leave the hive alone for a couple of weeks. Is this the right thing to do- ie will the queen be ok although maybe a little small? I dont see the point of adding another frame of eggs to see if they make a bigger one.
Thanks Nuala

 

[susbees]

Swarm cells and supersedure cells are drawn downwards by remoulding and widening the cell so appear long. Emergency cells which these will be go outwards then downwards so look smaller - and sometimes are when forage is poor or there are insufficient bees to nourish the larvae adequately.

 

[oliver90owner]

Is this the right thing to do

The simple answer is no.

It might get you out of a jam, but raising queens from emergency cells is far from best practice - unless the colony is a strong one.

Your queen may be OK, might even be a good 'un but the probability is lower than for a queen cell raised in a better controlled manner. If very small she may traverse a Q/E with ease. The likelihood of later supercedure is much higher, causing another problem if too close to the season end.

You may have been better to have reduced those many cells to a couple, after just a two, or three, days and again later.

Done now, so unless you want to lose another week and try again. Your choice of whether to risk a small queen, there being no guarantee for the next one, as the colony strength will only decrease.

RAB

 

[Hebeegeebee]

Emergency queens can be good but less likely to be so than a swarm or supercedure queen.