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Offline Dunkel

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Queen cells
« on: April 28, 2014, 11:28:55 pm »
Well I had a busy weekend, between being a cowboy and farming the story gets long and not exactly nice.  I made a run to check some nucs and pull up to a 3lb swarm.  I run back to get a box, of course the last stack has a copperhead on top and disappears into the jar hole.  Another long story :o  I have to work late at school today and Wednesday with monsoon on Tuesday. 

 I came home today peaked in the Stolen hive and the queen cells had not hatched yet so I under take to break one off to try in one of the laying worker hives,  I had pulled the queen in another nuc just as these were being capped.  The cell is torn a little, and out walks this queen on to the bars and down into the hive.  So I grab two more of the cells and take them to the drone factory.  I come back and find the other frame with cells and make up a nuc and away I go.  I did see the fresh hatched queen on a frame, I actually heard her first piping.

I have got 11 nucs in various stages,  I have been doing this off the fly so I can't remember whats in what anymore.  Going to have to start writing things down, which has always been my nemesis. 

Question one:  What do you all think the chances are that the queen cells survive the laying worker hive?

Question two:  What are the chances the broken cell and queen coming out mates and takes over her hive?
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Offline tecumseh

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Re: Queen cells
« Reply #1 on: April 29, 2014, 06:47:39 am »
first off it sounds like you need to remove and cage these cells a bit earlier < warning here.... cells do not always emerge exactly according to the calendar so having some means of caging cells can certainly reduce the need to panic.

question one > a laying worker hive is difficult to requeen.... if a cell or virgin does take hold do tell us since your method (no matter how random) may provide some clue as to how to resolve this problem.

question two > I would GUESS pretty good...  if she walked from the cell and no worker bee jumped her thinking she was some interloper then that one has good prospect of making you a nice laying queen.


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Offline LazyBkpr

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Re: Queen cells
« Reply #2 on: April 29, 2014, 09:25:15 am »

   The general consensus among others I have spoken to is to use brood frames to supress the laying workers for a week, then introduce another frame of brood, OR a mated queen..   Luck may be even better with a Virgin Queen...  I really have no idea here...   so what you are doing is important. As Tec said, PLEASE let us know the results and try to remember the steps you took.. Writing is my Nemesis as well...   I go out with VERY good intentions, but then get working and forget to write a lot of info down....   
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Offline blueblood

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Re: Queen cells
« Reply #3 on: April 29, 2014, 09:48:51 am »
I will be able to provide some data for this one too.  I put two queen cells in my small laying worker hive.  The cells were withing a day or two of emerging and that was two days ago. 

If I get any more than 20 colonies, which my goal is 25 this year, I will have to start writing things down again.  I rely on my threads here somewhat as I update them often.
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