I can't believe it - amazing that the bees can do this. Give them a frame of brood and eggs and what do you know - there's a queen!
I didn't see her but the evidence is clearly there:
(http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k288/tillielin/DSC00745.jpg).
One larvae in the upper right looks like she has a Varroa mite on her - oh, well, powdered sugar shakes are in her future...
Still don't know how well this little swarm that invited itself to my deck will do.
According to Michael Bush's bee math page (http://www.bushfarms.com/beesmath.htm), it will be 42 days from when she started laying until the workers from those eggs are out foraging. We have a dearth in July, so who knows if they can get ready for winter well enough, but a swarm in May is worth a load of hay, so maybe, maybe....
Thank you, everyone, for the helpful encouragement in getting this little swarm off the ground....I'm so excited!
Such miracles happen in the bee yard! I think I finally feel like a beekeeper now.
Linda T in Atlanta
Keep-em fed and they should store enough to winter over.
I think 2 to 1 ratio is recomended for fall feeding.
Good luck and God bless.
doak
I am so excited for you Linda and have been anticipating the queen also.
Keep us informed how they do.
I also have a very weak hive that I am worried about, and wonder if they will make it.
Loved your extracting the honey video. Really, really, want to try this different kind of beekeeping. Next year perhaps.
Have a great day
Annette in soon to be 100 degreee Placerville - Yuk!!!
wow is all i can say!
Linda -- congratulations and good for you !
I don't see the mite... can you circle it or ... I don't think I've seen any in my hive and fear I am just missing them.
Bee1
Tillie,
Congradulations. Looks like you have a good hive in the works.
Sincerely,
Brendhan
Bee1,
I don't know how to circle it, but it's an orange spot on a C-shaped large larvae in the upper right - third from the right end of a row. There's a sort of circle of bees around an open brood area up in that part of the picture and the larvae is fat, white and you can see the complete C - on its lower right you may be able to spot the orange spot.
Hope that helps,
Linda T
Bee1, They look like a little shiny red/brown button on the bee. When they are on a drone larvae you can't miss them...I am praying to all of the gods that when I do a hive inspection tomorrow I will see none, or few...ugh...
Linda, I just LOVE you blog bw~*~Hot as blue blazes!
Those empty cells in the middle there are a little alarming. Maybe it's just me.
I hope I am wrong, BUT...my guess would be unless you can find the queen you have a hive that is laying drone bees. They are having a worker lay drone eggs. If the cells are capped (domed) higher than normal they will all be drones. I am to understand that this is a incorrectable condition. They will kill any queen you introduce. Again I hope you find a queen in there.
Bill
I don't know if you've seen my earlier posts about this.
I introduced three different frames of brood and eggs into this hive. The first two that I introduced, the bees made queen cells. Then since I wasn't sure that the queen had emerged, I followed Michael Bush's general suggestion about this type of situation and added a third brood/egg frame.
If a queen is in the hive, the bees won't make another queen cell. If there is no queen, they'll use the brood to make another queen cell. These bees did not make a queen cell with the new frame and the hive seemed quiet and working.
Because I knew exactly when the eggs were introduced to make the queen cell, I knew that the emerged queen, if she succeeded in her mating flight should have started laying about five days ago. So the brood that you see in these cells is just right. There are also single eggs in cells that didn't show up in my pictures and I believe if you have a laying worker, both the brood is erratically placed on the frame and these are all together and there are usually several eggs in a cell, not standing upright.
This brood looks like it's in a good pattern to me and the capped cells are not domed. So I am crossing my fingers that in fact all is well and thriving! MrILoveTheAnts, I don't see any empty cells in the middle. The ones without larger larvae in them, have royal jelly that you can see with a tiny beginning of a larva - I don't know - maybe I should be worried.
Here's another picture that might show it better. I think it looks like the brood is making the basic football shaped pattern that we beekeepers hope for, but maybe I'm missing something since I SO want this colony to succeed.
(http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k288/tillielin/DSC00744.jpg)
Thanks for the observations,
Linda T a little worried in Atlanta
It appears to me as if the bees have exhibited a bit of hygenic behavior and removed some eggs that were not up to par. The queen has then gone back and laid new eggs in the cells the others were removed from while enlarging the brood area. So you have developing larvae in a fairly tight pattern, some eggs in isolated cells within that area and then more eggs around the outer area of the larvae.
Looks like it ought to and that you've had a successful requeening the old fashioned way.
Thanks, everyone, for the words of encouragement. Brian, I love the thought that this new queen might have the support of hygienic bees - how great if they are cleaning out defective eggs. Probably this weekend or the next, I'll move this colony into an 8 frame medium box and they'll have a real home of their own.
Linda T in Atlanta
Linda, excitement prevails with us all for you. Great. I love the pictures, so clear and precise. Things look pretty darn good to me. Have a wonderful day, great life. Cindi
Linda, DayVallley -- After much searching I think I do see a tiny little spot ... varroa mite. Thanks..
Bee1