Chilled cells?

[Bee North]

Hi guys.
Its coming into spring here in Australia and where I am (tropics) its ranging from about 14-27 C.

I recently grafted for the first time and I was fortunate to have almost all of them take, so ended up with excess.

I gave 7 to a mate of mine and I put 11 into nucs.

My friend is only 5 minutes from my place and on day 10 post grafting took his cells home directly. It was the middle of the day about 27C. He placed 2 into nucs. The others he caged and put them in a super above a strong queen right hive and excluder. He said they were in within the hour.

Mine went into nucs. The cells in the nucs hatched by day 16.

It is now day 19 and his caged queens in the super still havnt hatched. He opened one up and she was alive.

My questions:

Are they worth saving, will they be inferior?
Is this due to being cold...not enough nurse bees keeping them warm?
If they are worth saving what should he do, would putting a frame of brood either side of them help?

Thanks.

[Ben Framed]

I am interested in the answers also Bee North.

[TheHoneyPump]

No they are not.  Squash them all and try again. 
The issue may be chill. But could just as easily and more likely been handling.  The pupae in the cells are quite fragile between day 9 (capping) and day 14/15 of final maturing.  Any disturbance in that time period can damage the umbilical to the jelly which will halt or slow development.  Symptoms are dead in cell near completion, undersized runts, deformities, etc.

On the caged cells.  Ask him if he put attendants inside the cage with the cell, and if he did then how many.  The bees tend and temperature control with their bodies.  If they cannot press their abdomens right against the cell, they have no control.  The attendant bees also help her to emerge.  They shave the wax capping off the end so she has only her cocoon silk to cut.  If no bees are in the cage with the cell, it does not maintain steady temperature to mature properly and she may not be able to emerge at all by being trapped by the wax cap.

[Bee North]

Hi HP

Thanks for the feedback....I just called him and no he didnt add any bees!

[TheHoneyPump]

Ok.  Hopefully folks have more info now about how to be more successful with cells.

[Ben Framed]

Ok.  Hopefully folks have more info now about how to be more successful with cells.

Your information helps me for sure.Thank you Mr HoneyPump.

[Bee North]

Thanks HP.....greatly appreciated!!

 I passed the information on to my friend who is also grateful for the education you provided.