Trapout Surprise and question about it.

gardeningfireman · June 03, 2012, 09:55:58 PM

I started a trapout on May 8th, which was 26 days ago. After three days, there were seven queen cells in it. The nuc box was packed full the other day, so today I went to pull out three of the frames and replace them with empties. The idea was to use those three frames of bees to supplement a nuc I have at home, while giving the trapout bees more room. Boy was I surprised to find four of the frames full of eggs! After only 26 days, I certainly wasn't expecting a laying queen already. Is this unusual? Could the queen from the colony in the wall have come out and gone into the nuc? I didn't see a queen when I pulled out the three frames.

AllenF · June 03, 2012, 10:02:27 PM

Yes it is possible. Queens hatch at 16 days after eggs are laid.

Jim134 · June 03, 2012, 10:30:17 PM

Lots of times the bee will pick a 2 or 3 day old egg so now you at down to 14 or so days. now you got 12 day to mate and start lay egg the bee are on time 14 and 12 are 26 And queens go on mating flights on about day 21-22 or so.

http://www.thebeeyard.org/queencalendar.pl?month=5&day=22&year=2010

BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)

SkepWrangler · July 02, 2012, 05:06:54 PM

Question for you too, thanks.
In some races of bees, there is a propensity for laying workers to fill the place up with eggs in the absence of the queen. Because it is now almost another month since the start of your trap-out, I'm wondering what you discoverd in the way of "new queen" or "queen came out and began laying in the box" or "laying worker"
Since you asked the question: Given the timeline you explained, it seems highly improbable to me that a queen--reared in the box by the trapped-out workers--could have become fecund in so short a period. Emerged from a cell, yes. Mated, fecund and laying, not likely in European Honey Bees. IMHO,
SkepWrangler

iddee · July 02, 2012, 11:44:17 PM

Question not addressed to me, but here's my experience. A trap will start queen cells on day 3 of the egg, the day you set the trap. Starting trap day as day 1, she will emerge on day 13. I have seen many queens lay 5 days after emergence, being 18 days after trap is set. That would leave 8 days for the above queen to lay 4 frames of brood and eggs. Sounds about par for the course to me.

Jim134 · July 03, 2012, 08:36:41 AM

Did you look at the queen calendar in Reply#2. Can you tell me on what day did gardeningfireman put a frame of eggs in the trap ??? Did the bees start a queen cells on and eggs 0 days old 1 day old 2 days old or 3 days old eggs ???

BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)

iddee · July 03, 2012, 10:21:47 AM

""I started a trapout on May 8th, which was 26 days ago. After three days, there were seven queen cells in it.""

He placed the eggs on May 8th. They started queen cells within hours, using 3 day eggs. They don't start queen cells with eggs, but with new larva. The eggs used were laid on May 5th.