Are these Drone Cells in my honey?

Jackam · July 07, 2013, 09:44:53 PM

I swear, there is nothing in this world that makes you feel dumb as trying to raise honeybees!

Are these drone cells?
If so, does that mean that the Queen made a quick visit to this super and then headed down again?

Thanks,
Jack

HomeSteadDreamer · July 07, 2013, 09:53:55 PM

I vote drone cells

Bees In Miami · July 07, 2013, 10:54:25 PM

Jackam: I am assuming the cross bar from the frame is the bottom bar? I would like to be able to see the top of that frame, and I hope I am wrong for you, but that sure looks like it is all brood to me! Capped honey is usually white, with little squiggly lines of wax on the cappings. Look at the frame underneath that is still in the box....It looks like capped honey on the top 1/3rd of the frame, and brood on the balance. As I said, I hope I am wrong...but it looks like the queen is spending plenty of time up there!!! :?

iddee · July 07, 2013, 10:57:37 PM

My vote goes to Bees in miami

Looks like all brood to me. I don't see any honey.

sc-bee · July 07, 2013, 11:30:37 PM

No honey there. Very nice worker brood pattern.

Finski · July 08, 2013, 12:26:30 AM

.
Dark worker brood. They emerge inside a week.

Jackam · July 08, 2013, 02:00:47 AM

Quote from: Bees In Miami on July 07, 2013, 10:54:25 PM
Jackam: I am assuming the cross bar from the frame is the bottom bar? I would like to be able to see the top of that frame, and I hope I am wrong for you, but that sure looks like it is all brood to me! Capped honey is usually white, with little squiggly lines of wax on the cappings. Look at the frame underneath that is still in the box....It looks like capped honey on the top 1/3rd of the frame, and brood on the balance. As I said, I hope I am wrong...but it looks like the queen is spending plenty of time up there!!! :?

These frames are from my second deep brood box. When I looked today and saw the cappings, I did not see the half moon pattern that I read about so often. I figured there was no brood and it was all honey! (I wanted it to be honey for the bees Winter stores!)
If this is brood, I feel a lot better than if it was just solid honey. This was a package installed in Mid-May.
So tomorrow I'll put on the next two mediums, possibly with a queen excluder on the very top medium.
Sound good so far?

And I still stand by this:

Quote from: Jackam on July 07, 2013, 09:44:53 PM
I swear, there is nothing in this world that makes you feel dumb as trying to raise honeybees!

Bees In Miami · July 08, 2013, 03:24:11 AM

Glad to see your positive response! Just think how quickly they will get honey drawn with all that additional population! Your queen is a good one! :-D Take a good look at the photo again, more particularly, the frame that is exposed but still in the box. See where the honey (very white, up the top) ends, and the brood (more tan in color) begins? Good luck! It is a learning experience for sure!

Better.to.Bee.than.not · July 08, 2013, 04:22:59 AM

Well, if it makes you feel better, there are drone cells on there, like two of them.... but ya...would be sorta crunchy honey....

HomeSteadDreamer · July 08, 2013, 10:16:13 AM

LOL. I didn't even look at the other cells. Only two drones on a frame isn't a bad ratio.

Michael Bush · July 08, 2013, 11:12:06 AM

I agree. It looks like all brood cells. Of course pictures are always harder to tell than real life... the cappings on brood cells are papery because they have to be permeable to air. (Larvae have to breathe). They are made breathable by the addition of pollen (in the case of a newly hived swarm) or bits of chewed out cocoons (in the case of an established hive) to the wax. This gives it a papery finish rather than a waxy finish and allows air through. It also varies somewhat in color because of the pollen color and/or the darkness of the combs being chewed out.