What did I see?

GSF · May 18, 2014, 09:15:38 PM

I was going through six of my hives for various reasons. You can pretty much say they are all new bees. 2 swarms, 3 splits, 4 packages. I'm checking on different things from different hives. Amount of brood, eggs, backfilling, laying pattern, and so on. I have it in my mind that I'm going to take a frame with a swarm cell from another hive and maybe a frame or two from a couple of hives. I really want to capture this queen's genetics. She don't give a dang if a super is 95 percent full of honey, if there's an empty cell she's gonna lay. The workers in this hive are going gangbusters drawing out comb.

I'm in a hive that was about a 2 pound swarm from Montgomery on April the 9th. They are getting on their feet good right now. I'm seeing eggs, all stages of larva and brood. I was looking for the queen but couldn't find her. Then I spotted a bunch of bees that looked like they were covering burr comb so I moved them by blowing on them. They were covering the queen. I thought, man that's some good bees. They I saw what looked like balling. I could have swore they were bitting her and one was on top of her bowed up as if trying to sting her. I smoked them real good and everybody scattered. This frame was pulled out of the hive when I saw that. I really don't think robbing was taking place because we have a pretty good flow and all they had was sugar water.

What did I see? That queen couldn't be failing. Her egg laying is to be desired. Has anyone ever seen this before?

iddee · May 18, 2014, 09:29:15 PM

A hive disturbance can cause it. They blame the intrusion on her.

Kevin Bentley · May 18, 2014, 09:53:00 PM

Can you please elaborate on that point iddee?

GSF · May 18, 2014, 10:26:32 PM

Will they kill her? or will they get over it after it's closed up or 21 30 half dozen or nuther?

iddee · May 19, 2014, 08:33:26 AM

1... Often, when I do a cutout and find the queen, she will disappear within a few days and they will supercede her.

2... It is said you should leave a newly emerged queen alone until she is mated and laying, as sometimes the bees will kill her if disturbed.

3... Some articles I have read say the bees will replace the queen after a bear raid on a hive.

They just seem to blame her for upsets. Small upsets when she is new, larger upsets when she is established.

MsCarol · May 19, 2014, 10:14:55 AM

Quote from: iddee on May 19, 2014, 08:33:26 AM
2... It is said you should leave a newly emerged queen alone until she is mated and laying, as sometimes the bees will kill her if disturbed.

But isn't that "suicide" for the colony???

IF she hasn't started laying yet, then there wouldn't be any eggs for the colony to use to supercede her with.

I can sorta "get it" after a bear attack as there always lurks the possibility that the queen was injured in the massive raid. Rather then take chances, they make another while they can. A "cut out" would be similar to a bear raid in those buggy brains.

iddee · May 19, 2014, 10:21:28 AM

Not sure, but I think that case is one of ""loving to death"". They try too hard to protect her from the intruder.

Just a guess. If someone refutes it, I won't argue. Only the bees know for sure.

GSF · May 19, 2014, 10:48:30 PM

I'm like Carol, that's stupid. But bees will do what bees will do.

update, I went out early this morning before the birds were moving around. I keep white carpet in front of my hives to I can tell what's going on inside. I looked this morning and this afternoon but didn't see any dead queen on the carpet. The hive was peaceful sounding so maybe the smoke thing worked.

I appreciate that info iddee, I'd never heard of that before. I had planed to do a split tomorrow but I'm afraid one of my hives has swarmed. I'll know tomorrow. I just didn't hear or see the bees I did a couple of days ago when I added another super on.

I said 21 30 half dozen or the nuther, but I meant to say 37 11 ect.