multiple eggs in cells

[Valarie]

Hi everyone!
Just checked on a new swarm that was hived a few days ago, and I'm seeing lots of multiple eggs in cells. There are at least 6 frames with eggs and larvae but none is old enough to be capped yet, so I can't tell if it's drone brood or not. The pattern seems to be good- every cell has eggs, no empty cells, but about 50% of the cells have multiple eggs in them, mostly the cells at the bottom. The rest had one normal egg standing at the bottom. I counted as many as 9 eggs in some of the cells on the bottom row, but many had like 3-5. I only found one egg attached to the side of the cell, all the rest were attached at the bottom. I can even see multiple larvae developing- I imagine the bees are busy knocking them down to one per cell. I can't find a queen in there, but maybe she was just elusive. So whaddaya think? Laying workers, new queen or old queen? Thanks!

[Michael Bush]

Perhaps too soon to tell.  I don't usually see more than two with a queen, but three happens now and then.  I've never seen five from a queen, but if the space was restricted enough she might.  In other words if there is no open comb for her to lay in.

[Kathyp]

sometimes they do funny things when they get started.  i picked up one a couple of weeks ago. yesterday i found that she had laid eggs on top of some old pollen that the bees had not yet cleaned out.  it was a huge swarm and she has two boxes, but that's what she  did. 

also had a virgin queen last year that took a long time to get started. when she did, her pattern started out really bad and the eggs were all over the cells.  in a week or two, she was fine. 

just keep an eye on things and see.

can't think you'd have laying workers with a swarm, but....

[Valarie]

Thanks for the replies! I had given the swarm an empty deep and a super full of honey and apparently the bees figured it was easier to start laying in the middle of the honey super instead of drawing out the wax below in the new deep. A few days ago I tried to confine her to the bottom by putting an excluder on, but I must have ended up doing just the opposite and trapped her in the super!  :-\ Now the super is full of larvae so I just put it on the bottom and took off the excluder- eventually they'll move up into the deep and I can get my honey super back. I guess I should have known better...




The first image shows the clusters of eggs in the top left corner, the second shows multiple larvae even some at different ages and eggs laid on pollen.

[Kathyp]

usually the brood will have honey around the sides and over the top.  if she is laying in the middle of the honey super, she may be trying to follow the natural order of things.  it is hard not to help, but if you leave them, they will usually figure it out.  as they  use the honey, she will lay in those spots.  as she need more room and there is a nectar flow, they will draw out the other super.