What did you do in the Apiary today?

[elainemary]

Strange ‘drone’ queen cells in a badly drawn drone foundation super frame. The hive is making a queen, v calm and quiet but found these cells in a super above the q/e. Can only assume a worker had laid. No evidence of laying workers in the main colony but I put a test frame in to double check. I squished the cells and noticed just how many Varroa each drone queen cell had attracted. Anyone else seen queen cells made from drone brood in supers above a queen excluder?

 

[JamezF]

I squished the cells and noticed just how many Varroa each drone queen cell had attracted. Anyone else seen queen cells made from drone brood in supers above a queen excluder?

Not seen it myself, but I don't really check the super combs that closely during inspections. It's quite fascinating.

James

 

[magor]

I squished the cells and noticed just how many Varroa each drone queen cell had attracted.

thats quite lot of them just for couple cells... perhaps you need do a check/test mite in main box also and if you threat for varroa may it is for good that them making new Q giving the oportunity to do one when em become broodless

 

[elainemary]

@magor The colony below the super is broodless, with an emerged virgin, so I'm assuming most of the varroa in the hive were attracted to these few 'laying worker' type drone cells in the super, hence the large numbers of mites in a few cells.
I've added a test comb to check the virgin is still there & my plan now is to remove it when sealed, whether emergencey cells are made or not, and take any remaining varroa with that comb.

Other option is to dribble / sublimate with OA as broodless, after taking super off. I discounted doing a sugar shake as didnt want to disturb the hive more than necessary with a virgin possibly running around, though I've left a varroa board in & will check that after a few days. All other colonies in that apiary have been tested for varroa in last couple of weeks and very little

 

[magor]

jep test frame will do the job no need more action

 

[Dutchman]

Checked all 12 colonies, will have to spin some honey or I will run out of supers in a couple of weeks. No supers full and sealed but many half sealed, half filled, but nothing comes out when you shake them. Over the past couple of weeks the weather has not been great so they have eaten what they brought in but continued to process what they had stored. So I have to get that off before the weather improves and they start stashing away fresh nectar again. All in all about 100 kg, I guess.

 

[JimBee463]

Went to the Association apiary today and selected my colony - lovely and calm with a bit of expansion to do just yet, but a nice healthy looking queen with plenty of BIAS across the frames in the nuc.

Came home and, following the advice of an experienced local beekeeper, set up my hive site. This is in readiness for when I bring my girls home once they are ready.

Here are some pics of my hive site, the hive will face the fence and is placed about 7-8 feet from it, so the bees should fly up and over the fence and hedge and away. Excuse the mess, but we're in the process of sorting that little area out so that it's ready for when the girls come home.

I'll be moving the fruit cage left by a few feet to give some more space and i'll also be swapping the door to the other end. I may also bring the plastic pallets back by about a foot (not sure yet). I'll also be putting a 6' high net across the rear of that area to keep the dog, grandchildren and holiday let guests out!

I realise that the hive isn't set up correctly, this is just me storing it in-situ until i'm ready to set it up properly when the colony is bought home.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Exciting times.

 

[nettle]

Anyone else seen queen cells made from drone brood in supers above a queen excluder?

I've been wanting to ask this too, but was worried it was a stupid question! I wondered if it was possible for them to make QCs out of laying worker eggs, after finding supercedure-type cells in my queenless colony.

 

[JamezF]

I've been wanting to ask this too, but was worried it was a stupid question! I wondered if it was possible for them to make QCs out of laying worker eggs, after finding supercedure-type cells in my queenless colony.

They can't make queens because they need a fertilised egg for that, which workers won't be able to provide, being unmated. Erichalfbee posted some photos yesterday(?) of presumed laying worker larvae (in a super) that had a queen-type cell built around them however. I don't know what would have happened if she'd not torn them down. Emerged as normal drones, I imagine.

James

 

[MrGoat]

Another strange day at the apiary today.

The two swarms I caught last week I had a peak into. Looks like the big one has up'd sticks and headed off again - only 2 frames of bees left with a few queen cells. The cast swarm I caught are flying it gulping down some sugar syrup and hive alive.

I had one queenless colony which I had tried adding a mated queen to 4 weeks ago. There was no sign of her 2 weeks ago and I assumed she had been ball'd on release but today we have eggs

I also made a 2 frame NUC a number of weeks back from a really strong colony and they have a laying queen now too! Hurray! I moved these into a Paynes Poly NUC and fed them some sugar syrup to try build them up.

The first swarm I caught at end of May has turned into a monster hive and unfortunately they are thinking of swarming again! 3 queen cells in it. Lovely AMMs but clearly swarmy genes in them.

My two buckfast colonies are working away filling two supers happy out.

Very windy the past two days I was met with a lot of bees peering out from inside this morning when I went for quick look.

 

[pargyle]

Went to the Association apiary today and selected my colony - lovely and calm with a bit of expansion to do just yet, but a nice healthy looking queen with plenty of BIAS across the frames in the nuc.

Came home and, following the advice of an experienced local beekeeper, set up my hive site. This is in readiness for when I bring my girls home once they are ready.

Here are some pics of my hive site, the hive will face the fence and is placed about 7-8 feet from it, so the bees should fly up and over the fence and hedge and away. Excuse the mess, but we're in the process of sorting that little area out so that it's ready for when the girls come home.

I'll be moving the fruit cage left by a few feet to give some more space and i'll also be swapping the door to the other end. I may also bring the plastic pallets back by about a foot (not sure yet). I'll also be putting a 6' high net across the rear of that area to keep the dog, grandchildren and holiday let guests out!

I realise that the hive isn't set up correctly, this is just me storing it in-situ until i'm ready to set it up properly when the colony is bought home.

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Looking good, there's nothing much more exciting than bringing your first colony of bees home - apart from, perhaps, getting the first couple of jars of honey from your own bees (I still have my first ever jar ... well set by now but it is still my FIRST jar ....)

 

[JamezF]

Went to see the owners of a local house which has plenty of land (even the "walled garden" has a garden, a swimming pool, tennis court, skateboard ramp and a "gardener's bothy") and now have permission to set up some hives (a couple of bait hives initially I think) in a little-used corner of the property on a sheltered south-facing slope with easy access for a vehicle. Looks like this could well be out-apiary #2.

The grass needs getting under control, but hopefully tomorrow I can take a stand and the bait hives over and trample the vegetation down a bit to give me a bit of space, then go back and strim/mow later in the week.

The owner's house has a colony living under a section of roof that they'd like removed eventually, but they're unstressed about it for the time being so that's perhaps something to look at for next year. There's also at least one other colony living in a roof less than 100m away from the site, so hopefully I can pick up a swarm or two and take things from there.

James

 

[nettle]

They can't make queens because they need a fertilised egg for that, which workers won't be able to provide, being unmated. Erichalfbee posted some photos yesterday(?) of presumed laying worker larvae (in a super) that had a queen-type cell built around them however. I don't know what would have happened if she'd not torn them down. Emerged as normal drones, I imagine.

I know they'll only ever be drones, I was wondering whether the bees would attempt to make 'queen' cells from them, and whether that's what I might have seen in my hive with laying workers (rather than them using the eggs from a failing queen, possibly). It was something that had occurred to me as a possibility, but given how selective they seem to be about the eggs and larvae chosen to become QCs, I thought they might know better.

 

[Antipodes]

I know they'll only ever be drones, I was wondering whether the bees would attempt to make 'queen' cells from them, and whether that's what I might have seen in my hive with laying workers (rather than them using the eggs from a failing queen, possibly). It was something that had occurred to me as a possibility, but given how selective they seem to be about the eggs and larvae chosen to become QCs, I thought they might know better.

It seems they make mistakes . Research links were recently posted here (on another thread) showing that in a queenless panic, as well as making cells around suitable aged eggs and larvae, they will also apparently make queen cells around drone larvae and also larvae that is too old.... as well as sometimes on pollen cells, but they can fix many of the mistakes down the track.

 

[elainemary]

It seems they make mistakes . Research links were recently posted here (on another thread) showing that in a queenless panic, as well as making cells around suitable aged eggs and larvae, they will also apparently make queen cells around drone larvae and also larvae that is too old.... as well as sometimes on pollen cells, but they can fix many of the mistakes down the track.

Any idea where the links are /what thread? Would like to read them.

 

[Mabee]

I've been wanting to ask this too, but was worried it was a stupid question! I wondered if it was possible for them to make QCs out of laying worker eggs, after finding supercedure-type cells in my queenless colony.

I spoke to a much more experienced beekeeper than myself after spotting this frame, who told me bees frequently move eggs and larvae around and that my theory that the bees were trying to make queens from drone brood may not in fact be the case. However, the colony was queenless at the time, so I wasn’t confident in the quality of any queens being produced.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I've been wanting to ask this too, but was worried it was a stupid question! I wondered if it was possible for them to make QCs out of laying worker eggs, after finding supercedure-type cells in my queenless colony.

Yes they do. They are called King cells and come to nothing

 

[Erichalfbee]

I spoke to a much more experienced beekeeper than myself after spotting this frame, who told me bees frequently move eggs and larvae around and that my theory that the bees were trying to make queens from drone brood may not in fact be the case. This hive is now requeened anyway!

This is very contentious
Eggs....maybe? I've never heard of larvae being moved
Did you look in the cell? Was there a queen or a drone in it?

 

[Bazzer]

Went to the Association apiary today and selected my colony - lovely and calm with a bit of expansion to do just yet, but a nice healthy looking queen with plenty of BIAS across the frames in the nuc.

Came home and, following the advice of an experienced local beekeeper, set up my hive site. This is in readiness for when I bring my girls home once they are ready.

Here are some pics of my hive site, the hive will face the fence and is placed about 7-8 feet from it, so the bees should fly up and over the fence and hedge and away. Excuse the mess, but we're in the process of sorting that little area out so that it's ready for when the girls come home.

I'll be moving the fruit cage left by a few feet to give some more space and i'll also be swapping the door to the other end. I may also bring the plastic pallets back by about a foot (not sure yet). I'll also be putting a 6' high net across the rear of that area to keep the dog, grandchildren and holiday let guests out!

I realise that the hive isn't set up correctly, this is just me storing it in-situ until i'm ready to set it up properly when the colony is bought home.

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You could usefully move your hive even closer to the back fence. The place you need space is behind the hive for when you are inspecting. In front is dead space because you are in the flight path.

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