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multiple eggs per cell

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dermot:
I opened 9 hives here in Canberra on the 11th of August- the first warm day of late winter- 17c. 2 of the weakest hives showed somin strange.




   I had a look on a few forums and it seems that sometimes queens coming out of winter seem to take a little time getting back into the swing of laying individual eggs in individual cells. From Michael Bush talking about myths:

"Queens will never lay double eggs.

(In other words, all multiple eggs are a sign of a laying worker).
I've often seen double eggs from a queen. Rarely I've seen triples. I've never seen more. Laying workers will lay from two to dozens in one cell. I look for more than two and eggs on the sides of the cells and not in the bottom. Also eggs on pollen. These I consider signs of laying workers."

   It looks like 6 or 7 in some cells. The queen was present in both of these hives and the eggs are in the centre of the cells. My guess is that this time of year the queen has an imperative to lay but the small cluster size has reduced the area warm enough for her to lay in so she just keeps laying and the workers will eat the extras.

   Hopefully I'll be able to check again in a week or 2 and see if she's settled down.

Lone:
Dermot, that's what I'd do.  Give the queen a chance for a little while but if it turns out to be drone brood only or continues with multiple eggs then I'd change the queen.  I had a similar situation, multiple eggs but not much brood in total. The hive just got weaker.

In Queensland, queens don't really stop laying in winter so I don't know about what happens when they are "coming out of winter", but sometimes new queens will also lay multiple eggs for a while.

Lone

100 TD:
Interesting, I recently had a laying worker, lots of eggs in cells, and on the sides, if it is a queen, then she's a good layer, and I'd make sure she has plenty of room to lay.

Michael Bush:
Judging by the number of eggs I would have guessed laying workers.  I've rarely seen a queen lay that many in one cell.  But you saw the queens.  Perhaps the bees just haven't opened up enough room for the queens to lay yet.

edward:

--- Quote from: dermot on August 20, 2013, 06:30:28 am ---"Queens will never lay double eggs.
--- End quote ---

"Older Queens that may start failing sometimes lay 2 eggs in the same cell" according to Ole 88year old beekeeper,queen breeder, and still going strong.

I have seen it myself, but never more than 2 , most likely worker bees laying eggs  :-x

mvh Edward  :-P

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