Laying worker or virgin queen

[Green bee]

So I started a little matting nuc more or less as a learning tool. I knew I wouldn't be out much more than a couple handfuls of bees. When I started it I really wasn't looking for or expecting much other than what I could learn from it.
           Anyway I just punched cells and placed them upside down on the top bar of a frame. The first time I got two pretty queen cells, but when I placed them in a new nuc the bees destroyed them. I later learned they were unlikely to accept any queen cells if they already had cells built. So for the sake of time I just let the nuc go with the cells they built. I now have a pretty new queen in that hive.
            My next attempt was with three more punched cell with the same bees in the mini nuc. I got one really nice cell from these. I decided I'd just let it stay in there until she emerged and if I got a good queen from it I would come out pretty good. Anyway my queen emerged and she's a nice looking queen seems real lively. So I peeked in on them today because my son wanted to see her ( he punched the cell and was excited) and low and behold there looks to be a laying worker in there with my new queen.
           So now I am not sure of what to do. Do I let her go ahead and mate and chance the bees killing her or get her out of there. Is it possible the queen layed these eggs because she's young. I found 10-15 eggs per cell and even some eggs on top of pollen. I know it's hard to get a colony to accept a virgin queen. So what's yalls thoughts. It's an odd situation I think.

[robo]

I think letting a mini nuc build a queen cell is a bad idea.  They do not have enough resource to supply the cell with copious amounts of royal jelly to make quality queens.

Even bad queens appear to perform well when conditions are ideal.  You will be sorry when fall comes and they start to fail.

[CBT]

To add, your new queen could be mated and she hasn't got her act together yet and is spitting out eggs every where. Time will tell if you want to wait a week or so.

[Green bee]

I think letting a mini nuc build a queen cell is a bad idea.  They do not have enough resource to supply the cell with copious amounts of royal jelly to make quality queens.

Even bad queens appear to perform well when conditions are ideal.  You will be sorry when fall comes and they start to fail.

  I actually thought about that and you have confirmed my suspicion. Like I said though when I started it it was more of a learning experience. I really didn't expect to go this far. But just for future reference my question would be a virgin queen in a mini nuc or a nuc with laying workers , would they try to kill a returning mated queen or accept her if they raised her.  Now that you mention it , from where do they draw there resources to make royal jelly? Thanks

[efmesch]

Royal jelly is produced primarily by young "nurse" bees.  In addition to the honey and pollen that they use as raw materials, they add secretions from their mandibular glands to produce  royal jelly.  The larger the population of the hive, the more abundant the supply of royal jelly that can be produced. That explains why a strong, well populated hive is the best environment for queen bee production.
During the relatively short period while a hive (or nucleus) is producing queen cells, it is highly unlikely for laying workers to develop.  Which leads me to believe that CBT's (reply #2) is the most likely explanation for what you experienced.

[Green bee]

After thinking about it, I think I am going to let this mini nuc go and see what happens. Like I say I am not out anything. If learn something from it (which I have ) then it's not a lose.  I never intended to get anything more from it. But I now know I could raise a few queens if I want to would just need to change a few things. It amazes me at the resilience of these little bugs and yet how sensitive they are at the same time. It seems even under the worst conditions they can manage to strive  and yet fail under conditions we deem not so bad. I guess like wally told me the other day (they been bees a million years let them be bees)  all we can do is help them along. Thanks for the info guys!!!

[robo]

Never messed with a mating nuc with a laying worker,  but it doesn't work for a full sized hive.

Like the others have said,  my bet is you have a newly mated queen that hasn't settled down yet and is laying multiple eggs per cell.   A laying worker would have 6 or more eggs per cell and stuck to the cell wall as well as the bottom.

[Green bee]

Never messed with a mating nuc with a laying worker,  but it doesn't work for a full sized hive.

Like the others have said,  my bet is you have a newly mated queen that hasn't settled down yet and is laying multiple eggs per cell.   A laying worker would have 6 or more eggs per cell and stuck to the cell wall as well as the bottom.

        I am most likely not going to use this queen because I do feel like she will be a poor queen and it's a chance I don't care to take. That being said I think I'll just let this little nuc sit and see how long it lives. Maybe I'll see something I've never seen before. I do have a hive that needs a queen but I'll be buying a new local queen today for it. I'll try to take some pictures of the eggs in the cells and share them with y'all.

[robo]

I think you are making a smart move.   Let them build up and even move to a full sized nuc and just wait and see.  You really have no much to loose and you may get lucky and it overwinters.

[Green bee]

       Here is some photos I took. Hope they turned out well enough to see them.
         In the second photo you can see eggs on the side of the cell.

[robo]

Even though there are a lot of eggs, most of them are in the bottom of the cell.   Laying workers usually have them all over the place.   Still could be the queen, but time will tell.  If the workers clean them up and they turn into capped worker brood you'll know, or if she settles down to laying a better pattern.   At this point it is wait to see.....  keep us posted.

[Nugget Shooter]

Educational thread, thanks.....