- Joined
- Sep 7, 2013
- Messages
- 307
- Reaction score
- 246
- Location
- Loughborough
- Hive Type
- 14x12
- Number of Hives
- 11
So (at the worst possible time of year from a bee management perspective), I knew that, due to holidays and other commitments, there was going to be be a big gap between my previous inspection (May 18th) and the next one (today) - 23 days. Unfortunate, but that’s life occasionally.
As such (and whilst I appreciate that gap is untenable from a swarm management perspective), I wanted to make sure, on 18/05, that my two production colonies had been very thoroughly appraised in terms of queen-rightness, brood health, stores and supering, and signs of swarming.
Both hives have 2017 queens, and although from mongrel stock and fairly swarmy by nature, I was not anticipating any real tendency to swarm from either, this season.
Hive 1 - is/was very prolific (BIAS on 8 14x12 frames at 18/05, including large quantities of eggs and very young larvae), and having seen play-cups the week earlier, I noted that two of the 5 new play cups they had built in the interceding week, up to 18/05, had been laid into (they had eggs only - no grubs/royal jelly). Rightly of wrongly, given the time I was going to be away, I decided to do a pre-emptive AS … so Hive 1 was moved to one-side, and the Queen and bit of brood and some stores were moved into a new box in the original location (let's call that Hive 3).
Hive 2 - had aaaaaargh … started to build some proper-looking QCs (i.e. they were formed as more than mere cups, and were in locations, at the bottom and side of the frames, which looked swarmy) - but NONE of these were had been laid into. I have never seen such fully formed QC structures completely empty. Anyway, as they were empty (and, frankly, as I did not have any other spare kit immediately to hand), I decided to throw caution to the wind, and leave them as they were.
So, today, I have two conundrums:
A) Hive 1 - I was hoping (and expecting), after 23 days, to return and find a laying Queen * … or - more likely - a virgin Queen. Having been through the box three times, I did not see one, and I am usually pretty good - even with unmarked Queens. (Yes, she might have been on her mating flight, or have been gobbled by a swallow etc…). BTW, there was massive fanning (a sign of Q-?); but the hive temperament was good, save for a couple of nasty followers (which I also often see, in case of Q-). No stress … I will try a test frame. However, what concerned me more is that on NONE of the 9 original frames was there ANY sign of this colony having built ANY emergency QCs from which a new Queen would have emerged (again, I know the bees could have torn down the cell(s), but I would have expected to see some trace). Is this possible ??? … i.e. that, deprived of a Queen, and with plenty of eggs and young larvae, a colony does NOT try and rear a replacement ??
(Hive 3, BTW, was all tickety-boo, with my original yellow Queen)
B) Hive 2 - Brilliant … good call. There were no signs of any fresh/recent play cups in the brood box; the original yellow Queen was there, busily laying-up frames, and she looked normal (i.e. no signs that she was being slimmed-down). So how and why on earth, in the SUPER, did I find a single, charged QC - being busily fed by one or more bees ? Any thoughts on how this could arise ?? There was a trusty, framed wire queen excluder between both. As my own instinct is that this is not a swarm cell, I just tore it down … but not before I had taken a pic or two:
Any ideas as to what the heck has given rise to this, please ?
Thanks
(* Which I think I am right in saying is possible if everything went really quickly (from e.g. a 4-day old larva; 12 days to hatching / 5 days maturing / 1 day mating / 2 days sperm storage - so c.a. 20 days at the very, very earliest)
As such (and whilst I appreciate that gap is untenable from a swarm management perspective), I wanted to make sure, on 18/05, that my two production colonies had been very thoroughly appraised in terms of queen-rightness, brood health, stores and supering, and signs of swarming.
Both hives have 2017 queens, and although from mongrel stock and fairly swarmy by nature, I was not anticipating any real tendency to swarm from either, this season.
Hive 1 - is/was very prolific (BIAS on 8 14x12 frames at 18/05, including large quantities of eggs and very young larvae), and having seen play-cups the week earlier, I noted that two of the 5 new play cups they had built in the interceding week, up to 18/05, had been laid into (they had eggs only - no grubs/royal jelly). Rightly of wrongly, given the time I was going to be away, I decided to do a pre-emptive AS … so Hive 1 was moved to one-side, and the Queen and bit of brood and some stores were moved into a new box in the original location (let's call that Hive 3).
Hive 2 - had aaaaaargh … started to build some proper-looking QCs (i.e. they were formed as more than mere cups, and were in locations, at the bottom and side of the frames, which looked swarmy) - but NONE of these were had been laid into. I have never seen such fully formed QC structures completely empty. Anyway, as they were empty (and, frankly, as I did not have any other spare kit immediately to hand), I decided to throw caution to the wind, and leave them as they were.
So, today, I have two conundrums:
A) Hive 1 - I was hoping (and expecting), after 23 days, to return and find a laying Queen * … or - more likely - a virgin Queen. Having been through the box three times, I did not see one, and I am usually pretty good - even with unmarked Queens. (Yes, she might have been on her mating flight, or have been gobbled by a swallow etc…). BTW, there was massive fanning (a sign of Q-?); but the hive temperament was good, save for a couple of nasty followers (which I also often see, in case of Q-). No stress … I will try a test frame. However, what concerned me more is that on NONE of the 9 original frames was there ANY sign of this colony having built ANY emergency QCs from which a new Queen would have emerged (again, I know the bees could have torn down the cell(s), but I would have expected to see some trace). Is this possible ??? … i.e. that, deprived of a Queen, and with plenty of eggs and young larvae, a colony does NOT try and rear a replacement ??
(Hive 3, BTW, was all tickety-boo, with my original yellow Queen)
B) Hive 2 - Brilliant … good call. There were no signs of any fresh/recent play cups in the brood box; the original yellow Queen was there, busily laying-up frames, and she looked normal (i.e. no signs that she was being slimmed-down). So how and why on earth, in the SUPER, did I find a single, charged QC - being busily fed by one or more bees ? Any thoughts on how this could arise ?? There was a trusty, framed wire queen excluder between both. As my own instinct is that this is not a swarm cell, I just tore it down … but not before I had taken a pic or two:
Any ideas as to what the heck has given rise to this, please ?
Thanks
(* Which I think I am right in saying is possible if everything went really quickly (from e.g. a 4-day old larva; 12 days to hatching / 5 days maturing / 1 day mating / 2 days sperm storage - so c.a. 20 days at the very, very earliest)
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... But, in all seriousness, you have a very valid point, JBM. I am prepared to see how it goes with these (test frame or not); just a bit perplexed as to why I can see no visible signs of them having raised said Queen.
