Swarm cells capped for a very long time

[deb]

I inspected my two swarmy hives on May 23rd, removed lots of queen cells and left two sealed in each. (I know - I did get a cast the following week, which I caught and hived successfully).

Inspected hives on monday (4th June) and there was one sealed cell still in each. I'm sure they were the ones I left. They were lovely ones and dark in colour. However, this means they have been sealed for at least 12 days. I'm puzzled. Does this happen sometimes? Have the queens died inside? If they have, why haven't the bees torn them down - and isn't it an incredible coincidence if the same thing has happened in both hives?

Your thoughts...

 

[oliver90owner]

(I know - I did get a cast the following week, which I caught and hived successfully).


Getting a cast swarm issued might tell you at least one has emerged and another viable cell was present (in at least one of the hives).

Queens do not emerge if they are that long in the tooth. The workers could delay emergence, but I would think they were killed in the cell by the newly emerged queen.

Not particularly incredible, or a coincidence. Happens all the time in unmanaged colonies. So you caught one and lost one cast swarm?

The bees will tear them down, given time. They don't have any particular timetable for doing it, probably more important things going on.

Edit: Those cells could even be empty.

 

[Polyanwood]

I think this reminds us why we try to leave unselaed queen cells and not sealed ones when we reduce the number of queen cells. With sealed ones you can never tell if there is a viable queen in there. Quite often the bees seal up a queen cell again after the queen has emerged so you are patiently waiting for nothing.

 

[Hebeegeebee]

You can open the tip of the queencell with your hive tool and see what's there. Sometimes queencells are sealed back up again - with or without a bee inside.

 

[Polyanwood]

Yes you can, but the main thing is that it is not sensible to choose to keep sealed QCs because you can't see what is in them. You can't go checking whether there is something in them at the time you choose them, as that would harm any queen, you can only chek they are empty after they should have emerged, and then you have lost time.

 

[Bates]

Could be black cell queen. As suggested, your best to leave an unsealed cell so your more sure it is viable.

 

[Polyanwood]

How would you recognise black queen cell virus bates?

 

[Bates]

How would you recognise black queen cell virus bates?

Tbh, as the cells were already on the frame would only be if you open up and see.

Generally if your breeding queens and you do a graft, await for them to build up in your builders then go out to put cells into nucs you can give them a slight wiggle. Generally if you dont feel anything move inside it is suspect. I check, although it is not always the case and I loose a cell from it. This generally happens when cell builders are stressed so we put them "out of order" as such.

 

[Polyanwood]

...slight wiggle..

learned something there. I handle queen cells like they are ticking bombs made of gossamer threads......I worry about touching them in case bees don't like my smell on them.....obvs. worth while being a bit more robust in my approach.

 

[Bates]

...slight wiggle..

learned something there. I handle queen cells like they are ticking bombs made of gossamer threads......I worry about touching them in case bees don't like my smell on them.....obvs. worth while being a bit more robust in my approach.

Ofcourse you have to be very careful once cells are capped, not flip them upside down etc but I really mean a very very slight wiggle.