nooby questions

[morb]

Hi
I'm a new beekeeper i just got my first nuke a couple weeks ago. Today I looked in on them. I saw the queen on the second frame I looked at, I then noticed a bee with a bald thorax and then another, other than the thorax they look just like the other workers. It seems to me that I read somewhere that virgin queens look like workers except for the bald thorax, is this correct?

I got to the middle frame and at the top of the frame is what looks like the start of a queen cell, supersedure? The bees have 5 frames that came with the nuke drawn and with brood, they have started drawing 3 of the new frames that I put in. I seen eggs in lots of the cells a few days ago and larva at different stages. So I guess my questions are... Are they getting ready to replace their queen? Should I let them carry on?

Thanks for your time
Ron

[tillie]

Older workers often have a bald or nearly bald thorax.  They rub the hairs off over time and foraging. 

A nuc is going to have workers of various ages - bees only live about 6 weeks at this time of year.  A bee close to 6 weeks old would have much less hair on her thorax than a young bee.  You've had your nuc a couple of weeks - so it's quite possible that you have an old bee or two in your hive!

Linda T in Atlanta

[morb]

Thanks Linda
still not sure about the queen cell, do you think I should leave it?

[tillie]

I don't know about the queen cell.  I think I'd leave it alone - I've never cut one, and Michael Bush says that if they are going to swarm, they are going to swarm.  And most hives have a few queen cells that they make as insurance that the queen will keep on trucking. 

Every nuc I've ever gotten has queen cells in it.  Nucs are put together with frames of brood and eggs and are fairly new combinations even when you get them from the supplier, so they probably make the queen cells to assure themselves that the hive will survive - all colonies of bees have two goals:  survival of the hive (through swarming) and survival of the winter (through making honey). 

I've heard at least in Georgia that an inordinate number of swarms are happening this year, but the bees, when they swarm are in fact splitting the hive, so if the queen leaves with a swarm, she leaves behind a queen cell ready to emerge or her daughter already emerged to maintain the hive left behind.  The goal is not to abscond but to make a natural split through swarming.

All a swarm does is slow the hive down (because the population has to build back up) and most of the time you get little or no honey the first year anyway!

All of that to say, don't worry, be happy, enjoy your bees and keep watching - it's amazing what they do and what you will have the opportunity to learn.

Linda T in Atlanta

[IndianaBrown]

Things to keep in mind about 'queen cells':

Queen 'cups', which look something like little acorn caps, are common.  Bees like to have a few 'just in case' they need to replace/supersede a queen.

Queen 'cells' are long cells that stick out/down from the comb and typically look something like a peanut shell.  The can be divided into 'supersedure cells' and 'swarm cells'

'Swarm cells' are usually found on the very bottom of the frames, and there are usually many of them.  (See above for Michael Bush wisdom on swarming.)  :)  If you don't want to lose half of the bees about the only thing you can effectively do is to split the hive to emulate a swarm.  You can recombine them later if you want to maximize honey production.

'Supersedure cells' are usually NOT found on the very bottom of the frames, and there are usually only one or two of them.  If a hive is trying to supersede or replace a queen, you should let them do so.  From all reports, it is fairly common for commercial queens to be superseded these days.

[Scadsobees]

It is also common for a hive of bees to supercede a new queen that is given them, even when she seems to be performing find.

[tillie]

PS Morb,

It would be helpful to everyone if you would indicate a location rather than "Hopelessly Lost" - we can all have a better idea of what kind of bee challenges may come your way.

Linda T

[morb]

IndianaBrown
That is exactly what it looks like, an acorn cap. It's right at the top of the frame near the center.

tillie
I'm from Saskatchewan. When I signed up on this site I forgot to add my location, then I couldn't figure out how to change my profile. Have it fixed now though.