Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: ApisM on July 29, 2012, 10:30:02 PM

Title: Two eggs per cell??
Post by: ApisM on July 29, 2012, 10:30:02 PM
Weird.

I started a nuc with a couple of queen cells and they hatched, two weeks ago or more.  Now I have a queen that has been in the hive and just a couple of days ago eggs started appearing.  Now I have larva, none capped and eggs.  The queen was observed today and looked fine.

However the eggs in the cell have two or more eggs (sometimes four).  What is going on??

Do I have a laying worker and Queen co-existing?  What should I do if this is the case?
Title: Re: Two eggs per cell??
Post by: hardwood on July 29, 2012, 10:32:50 PM
Your new queen is practicing....she will perfect it within a week.

Scott
Title: Re: Two eggs per cell??
Post by: ApisM on July 29, 2012, 10:35:20 PM
Thanks Scott... I never seen this before.

Also, I've been losing a lot of queens in my nucs?  I think the birds are eating them when they go to mate.  of 4 nucs and observing the queens when they hatched only one exists today....they keep disappearing.  Does this happen to you alot?
Title: Re: Two eggs per cell??
Post by: Kathyp on July 29, 2012, 10:45:38 PM
happens to me.  swallows.
Title: Re: Two eggs per cell??
Post by: tefer2 on July 29, 2012, 11:04:28 PM
Happening to us a lot more this season too. Catbirds are in my sights as the problem here.
Title: Re: Two eggs per cell??
Post by: iddee on July 29, 2012, 11:15:48 PM
Happens a lot when the hive is disturbed the day she emerges or within a week afterward.
Title: Re: Two eggs per cell??
Post by: David McLeod on July 30, 2012, 12:03:25 AM
Yep, young queen getting the hang of things. I checked location as well, a couple dead center bottom don't worry me as much as a couple on the side two more over there and a few more scattered around. To me multiples all over the place are the tell tale of a laying worker. Neatly placed, even multiples, are the work of a queen.