Did I miss a supercedure cell?

[Bakersdozen]

In the hive in question, I made a note that I saw lots of capped brood on 4/24. I must have put on a queen excluder and honey super about 2 weeks ago.  Today I checked the super to see if they were bringing in honey.  I found capped worker brood in my super.  Ugh! The inner cover is notched to allow for an upper entrance.  Is my math right?  Last notation was 37 days ago.  Subtract at least 9 days for capped brood. Subtract approximately 23 days for a new queen to be reared, mated, and productive.  Depending on the age of the queen cell that I missed, it is possible that they superceded the queen and reared a new one?  Right?  BTW, there was 0 eggs and larvae in the brood boxes under the queen excluder. 

I removed the queen excluder and let her go.  I don't like the idea of losing 10 frames of comb in a super, but too late.

[The15thMember]

Are you sure you didn't just accidentally trap the queen in the honey super? 

[iddee]

Like 15, I suspect you missed the queen and locked her in the super.

Either or, an egg laid today can produce a laying queen in 21 days, capped brood in 30. Any queen cell could produce capped brood in a lot less than 37 days.

[Bakersdozen]

I might have trapped her in the super if she was on the inner cover when I put it back on top of the super.  The first thought was that she was small and slipped through the queen excluder. This spring I did get some queens that were on the small side.  She had been laying great when I put the super on.

[iddee]

That's possible. I have had queens get through excluders, but it is doubtful she would leave brood to go into a broodless super.

[Bakersdozen]

This makes a second time.  I was checking honey supers yesterday.  We are at the height of the nectar flow. One colony had 3 supers in place.  I peaked inside and low and behold I had 3 supers of brood comb!  Ugh! This time there was an upper entrance.  Below the queen excluder I found some capped brood.  I put the 1st two supers in place on 4/22, when the fruit trees are blooming. Not sure exactly when I added the 3rd super but feel confident it was the last week of May. I know that at that time I took a look at the super frames to see if they were being filled with honey!
Any thoughts on what happened this time?
I took the entire arrangement of boxes apart putting the deep with some brood on the bottom then the 3 supers and topped it all with the empty box on the very top.  The empty box did contain a lot of pollen in the frames.  I think going into fall I will need to get those frames of pollen down into the brood nest and not on top or they won't have any place to put winter stores.

[RAST]

Metal or plastic excluder?

[Bakersdozen]

Metal or plastic excluder?

Metal...always.

[RAST]

Checked it real close for a spread spot yet?

[Bakersdozen]

Checked it real close for a spread spot yet?

No, not yet.  Good point.

[RAST]

I was watching a Kamon Reynolds YT video last night (which I usually don't) and he had a queen on the super side of the excluder, He went on to expand on it and how he had one that could get through the excluder any time she wanted.

[Bakersdozen]

I mentioned this situation to a life long beekeeper.  His first reaction was to look for a bad spot (gap) in the queen excluder.  He also said I my supers would have been ok if I would have removed the queen excluder and brushed all the bees off into the brood boxes. Then put the queen excluder back on.  She will be below and the nurse bees can come up and tend the brood.  One round of brood in the super wouldn't impact the honey.  I think that is my next move.  But not when it's 9000 degrees out there!

[Wandering Man]

I think that is my next move.  But not when it's 9000 degrees out there!

 

[Zweefer]

Where is your sense of adventure?
I had a friend who had to move some hives (was at a pick yourself berry farm) and so transferred 4 hives in the heat yesterday.  Fun times!

[Bakersdozen]

I have learned to wear a  sweat band under my hood.  It helps.  Nothing worse than perspiration in your eyes which then gets all over your glasses!
Earlier this week I had two colonies in an apiary that I broke down completely looking for queens that weren't there.  Temps in the 90's and high humidity will drain you.