Multiple Eggs

mtnb · May 04, 2016, 09:22:38 PM

I was able to look into my hive today. Still very little amount of bees. Last time The weather cooperated was April 9th. Then I saw capped patches of brood about palm sized on about 4-5 frames. I did see the queen. Today I saw only a few capped cells on a couple of frames. And of course it figures, but all last year I was never able to see eggs, but today everything must have been just right and even without my glasses I could see eggs. Only on one frame. Many many cells had 2-3 eggs laying on the bottom. At first I thought laying worker but then I remembered I saw the queen last time and immediately I then spotted her on that frame. So I suspect something happened to my old queen and I now have a new one. Would you agree? Last time I noticed one queen cup on the very bottom of a frame but only the one and now it's gone.

sc-bee · May 04, 2016, 09:25:45 PM

Yes...sounds like a new queen working things out.

mtnb · May 04, 2016, 09:52:53 PM

Boy, I'm thinking about the timeline and am afraid that I may have caused my queen's demise somehow last time. April 9th I look in, cause some issue, she dies, they make new queen, say 2-3 days, now it's April 11th, 16 days later April 26th she hatches. She mates, 6-7 days later she's done. Now day 8, May 4th, I see her first attempts. Oh boy.

cao · May 04, 2016, 10:07:22 PM

She may have been already failing when you inspected before. That could be one explaination for the low numbers and little brood. It may have just been the first chance they had to replace her.

BeeMaster2 · May 04, 2016, 10:17:16 PM

I agree, you have a new queen. When you open the hive bee sure the first frame that you remove is frame #1 or 10. A mated queen will probably not go on these frames unless she has brood on them. Then you leave that frame out and move the next frame and remove it. This protect her from being rolled as a frame is removed.
Jim

mtnb · May 04, 2016, 10:19:52 PM

Yes, that's true. That makes me feel a little better, cao. After a queen hatches, is there a certain number of days where she's more receptive or something? I wonder how long a new virgin queen could stay in the hive before being able to get out, due to bad weather, for example. Just for curiosity's sake. I would imagine, the sooner the better, but does a delay in mating...cause...something?

mtnb · May 04, 2016, 10:20:49 PM

Yes, thank you Jim. That's how I do it. Nowadays I can spot exactly where they are their nest is so small. Haha Maye frame 5 or 6 is where she was at today.

BeeMaster2 · May 04, 2016, 11:07:18 PM

If you are inspecting them properly I doubt you injured her.
Jim

mtnb · May 04, 2016, 11:35:18 PM

Ok. Thanks guys. I don't know how I could have injured her. I knew where she was. I bet cao is right. She was failing anyway which would explain the small amount of brood.

mtnb · May 05, 2016, 10:55:40 AM

Would this colony be better off in a nuc? Will they grow faster in a smaller space or should I just leave them where they are which is a 8f medium?

mtnb · May 05, 2016, 11:41:10 AM

So what happens now? I'm sure she'll get a hang of just laying a single egg and will do a fine job. But what will happen to the cells with multiple eggs? Will the workers clean out all but one and let that grow? Are all multiple eggs now deemed useless and will be removed? Will all the eggs in a cell grow and become deformed bees?

Sorry. Just curious.

BeeMaster2 · May 05, 2016, 12:15:58 PM

The nurse bees will only allow one egg to develop. They remove and eat the extras.

Jim

mtnb · May 05, 2016, 12:42:20 PM

Interesting. Thanks.

Rurification · May 05, 2016, 01:59:07 PM

Yvonne - I've let my colonies raise new queens several times. The old ones fail, disappear, etc. Don't worry about why. It happens a lot. Next time, hopefully, you'll see what's going on at the beginning of the process [spot the queen cells] and be able to peek in a little over the next month. That's really fun.

How many frames of bees do you have in your 8fr med? I'd lean toward just letting them alone to do their thing and build up. Unless you see robbing, they're probably OK.

KeyLargoBees · May 05, 2016, 02:22:48 PM

Yvonne,

as far north as you are you probably don't have to worry about Beetles so space and untended comb isn't as big a concern as it is in the south ..

I wouldn't disturb them right now by downsizing them....just let them build up...when you Pm'd me you stated you were getting 2 NUCS...you might consider, depending on the strength of the Nucs, giving her a shake of bees from each to give her some population so she can lay more since she wont ever lay any more than she has bees to cover the brood....and if the population is as low as you say it will be a very slow build.....would give them a jump start and not set the Nucs back too much.

Just an idea.

mtnb · May 06, 2016, 11:05:15 AM

Quote from: Rurification on May 05, 2016, 01:59:07 PM
Yvonne - I've let my colonies raise new queens several times. The old ones fail, disappear, etc. Don't worry about why. It happens a lot. Next time, hopefully, you'll see what's going on at the beginning of the process [spot the queen cells] and be able to peek in a little over the next month. That's really fun.

How many frames of bees do you have in your 8fr med? I'd lean toward just letting them alone to do their thing and build up. Unless you see robbing, they're probably OK.

Robin, I have very little bees. When you look down, they're only peeking up at me between two rows of frames and some stragglers here and there. Very little amount.

Quote from: KeyLargoBees on May 05, 2016, 02:22:48 PM
Yvonne,

as far north as you are you probably don't have to worry about Beetles so space and untended comb isn't as big a concern as it is in the south ..

I wouldn't disturb them right now by downsizing them....just let them build up...when you Pm'd me you stated you were getting 2 NUCS...you might consider, depending on the strength of the Nucs, giving her a shake of bees from each to give her some population so she can lay more since she wont ever lay any more than she has bees to cover the brood....and if the population is as low as you say it will be a very slow build.....would give them a jump start and not set the Nucs back too much.

Just an idea.

That's a great idea Jeff! How do I go about doing that? Won't they fight if I just shake some in? Do I need to combine them somehow?

Rurification · May 06, 2016, 03:13:55 PM

My surviving hive had only that many bees, too. The cluster was the size of my fist and I have small hands. I just left them in the 10 fr med. I have a box full of bees now and they're coming and going like crazy. I just put a super on a few days ago.

Like Jeff says, it was a very slow build, but they're fine now.

KeyLargoBees · May 06, 2016, 09:49:08 PM

Nurse bees are like type O blood... Universally accepted if you shake them into the hive off of their brood comb..... Just have to be ABSOLUTLY sure the queen from The NUC isn't on the frame.

mtnb · May 07, 2016, 12:23:35 AM

Good, Robin. I'm glad to hear that.

Quote from: KeyLargoBees on May 06, 2016, 09:49:08 PM
Nurse bees are like type O blood... Universally accepted if you shake them into the hive off of their brood comb....

Oh yes. Now I remember I knew that. lol thanks

[/quote]Just have to be ABSOLUTLY sure the queen from The NUC isn't on the frame.
[/quote]

YES! Lol I will do that for sure! lol
Thanks for being here everyone!