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Author Topic: CONFUSED: Queen Cells  (Read 2123 times)

Offline Captain776

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CONFUSED: Queen Cells
« on: July 17, 2017, 06:40:31 am »
I see Queen cells on bottom board top board and in the middle but today I saw one of the bottom bar cells is now capped so I made a 3 frame split and now have hive 5.
The CONFUSED part is:
There is plenty of room
There is beautiful Larvae everywhere
There is cells in 3 locations, looks like all have a Larvae
With room everywhere, no need for Queen cells
With Larvae everywhere, Queen is laying and pretty much a tight center pattern, no need for Queen cells
I would be happier if they were just in the middle (Superseder) but in 3 locations? Do I go Left......Right, or straight ahead?
Bought my first NUC April 7, 2016.
Like all you when you first started, I am fascinated with beginning Beekeeping and trying to learn all I can.
I retired May 2015 and have added this to my short list of hobbies.

Offline Acebird

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Re: CONFUSED: Queen Cells
« Reply #1 on: July 17, 2017, 08:19:07 am »
I think you mean bar not board, top bar, bottom bar and middle.  Don't get hung up on where they are located the real tell tail is how many cells there are.  If it is just three I would say they are supercedure not swarm.  If there are 8 or 10 then I would think swarm.  About "space"... what matters is their space not necessarily what space you give them.  They must accept the space you give them or it is like not even there to them.
Brian Cardinal
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Offline BeeMaster2

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Re: CONFUSED: Queen Cells
« Reply #2 on: July 17, 2017, 08:40:58 am »
Bruce,
I put a failing hive with just 2 deep frames that I put in the bottom of my observation hive in November and they barely had any bees by January 1st. That queen built that hive to fill up those 2 frames completely with a large ball of bees outside, by March 1 and then with 6 empty foundation less frames above them they swarmed and left those 2 frames covered with bees.
I have found if I put a drawn frame in one slot above the brood, they will move back in the hive and start building wax in the other empty frames.
Jim
Democracy is 2 wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote.
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Offline Captain776

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Re: CONFUSED: Queen Cells
« Reply #3 on: July 17, 2017, 10:26:58 am »
I did move 2 frames up into the second box, the second or third in from each side and left the Brood Ball untouched.
There is 6-7 but I only see one capped on the bottom bar but a few of the other Larvae are large so they will cap soon.

All part of the learning curve........except it goes uphill fast.   :happy:
Bought my first NUC April 7, 2016.
Like all you when you first started, I am fascinated with beginning Beekeeping and trying to learn all I can.
I retired May 2015 and have added this to my short list of hobbies.

Offline Captain776

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Re: CONFUSED: Queen Cells
« Reply #4 on: July 17, 2017, 10:27:38 am »
I think you mean bar not board, top bar, bottom bar and middle.  Don't get hung up on where they are located the real tell tail is how many cells there are.  If it is just three I would say they are supercedure not swarm.  If there are 8 or 10 then I would think swarm.  About "space"... what matters is their space not necessarily what space you give them.  They must accept the space you give them or it is like not even there to them.

Correct......Thanks
Bought my first NUC April 7, 2016.
Like all you when you first started, I am fascinated with beginning Beekeeping and trying to learn all I can.
I retired May 2015 and have added this to my short list of hobbies.

Offline Acebird

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Re: CONFUSED: Queen Cells
« Reply #5 on: July 17, 2017, 10:52:39 am »
I did move 2 frames up into the second box,
Did they accept the box by expanding into it or did they remove what was in the two frames and put it back below?
Brian Cardinal
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Offline eltalia

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Re: CONFUSED: Queen Cells
« Reply #6 on: July 17, 2017, 12:12:57 pm »
It is not mentioned where in the frame set the frame with QCells was, Cap'n.
IF it was in #2 or #8/9 my choice would have been to move it to beside #5
and wait a few days to go look. Your description reads like a supercede
but worth testing with the above move. Something to consider next time.

Cheers.

Bill

Offline sc-bee

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Re: CONFUSED: Queen Cells
« Reply #7 on: July 17, 2017, 11:55:48 pm »

I caught a swarm a couple months back. Nice brood pattern, building fast, opened it after a couple weeks to find one supercedure cell.... geeze....  :sad:

http://beesource.com/point-of-view/walt-wright/are-they-supersedure-or-swarm-cells/
John 3:16

Offline Captain776

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Re: CONFUSED: Queen Cells
« Reply #8 on: July 19, 2017, 06:55:45 am »
I did move 2 frames up into the second box,
Did they accept the box by expanding into it or did they remove what was in the two frames and put it back below?

One went gangbusters and it looks like one did as you said, moved down and abandoned top box
Bought my first NUC April 7, 2016.
Like all you when you first started, I am fascinated with beginning Beekeeping and trying to learn all I can.
I retired May 2015 and have added this to my short list of hobbies.