Yes it’s a well known fact that there are laying workers in a normal colony. They look like any other worker. I’ll see if I can find anything in the percentages. Something is rattling around in the back of my mind but just need to check.
As soon as I saw the photo nosemia was my thoughts... @Forester Doug have you feed syrup and if so how did they consume it.. Time, quantity etc?
No not after a few days because brood pheromone suppresses worker bee ovaries but as brood reduces more and more workers lay eggs but the increase is gradual. It’s well known. Laying worker colonies can be a problem as soon as three weeks after the queen has gone but it usually takes longer
Not that I saw, but it is entirely possible, I was looking for a queen and this one struck me as queen like.
I haven't really fed these bees for a while, possibly not since springtime. I didn't see any other bees with swollen abdomens, but if there is a chance it is this nosema (fungal pathogen) I will be vigilant. I was hoping I would be able to treat for varroa before winter sets in too hard, maybe I need to add a fungicide to the treatment too.
This colony had emergency queen cells after I accidentally and unknowingly killed the queen and failed to check before they hatched out. I had 5 queen cells, a few had side holes which I assume was the first queen dispatching the others. Trying to find the new queen I discovered the bee in question with the swollen adoment with her abdomen pointing into a cell (I thought was queen like behaviour, but could be as a result of nosema??) And the darker bee which I established was the queen. I initially thought I had found 2 queens, though 1 was more obvious. The hive was free from brood, so maybe workers had started laying I am unsure.
There are always some laying workers. You just spotted one.
It is estimated that between 7-45% of workers in Q+ colonies have developed ovaries between 2-12 with the potential to activate these in case the colony becomes Q-. In Q+ colonies only 1 in every 10,000 workers is a laying worker most most of whose eggs are removed by worker policing. Laying workers develop approx. three weeks after last brood has emerged.
Well I haven't seen any more, but I wasnt looking for them the first time, just the queen. So I will pay more attention next time I can poke my head in. Think I will treat for nosema as a precaution either way.
Are darker queens favourable? I mean she has bitten the dust now, and was never a viable option, but for future reference, can colour denote quality? I never had a queen emerge so dark, the previous queens I had from this colony were much lighter than this one.
If you look at colour that is phenotype, it may give you at best an inkling of genotype. It is often said that dark coloured colonies will not accept a ginger queen, but recent study found that some colonies will not accept any new queens. Some Buckfast queens turn out black as they are hybrid.
