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Author Topic: A baffling question..  (Read 4484 times)

Offline Lek

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A baffling question..
« on: August 15, 2011, 01:28:26 am »
On  one of the hives I had placed a new bottom board, it had room between the bottom of the frame to the board  a gap big enough to slip in a small plastic container to catch the SHB, worked well only thing was they built down from the frame to near the landing board, the queen must have been down there laying when I decided to go back to the standard bottom board and she got squashed in the process, I was not aware of this until a few weeks later I went and had a look to see how they were getting along, no new brood,  and was unable to find the queen. Checked a week or so later, still no queen and no fresh laid egg or brood. By this all the old brood had hatched out, I placed a frame from another hive into the queen less hive hoping that they would make up a new queen,  checked a few week later, couldn’t find a queen that I was hoping to get from the fresh eggs I had put in a few weeks back.  Couple of weeks ago I decided  I would take all the frames that was full and extract, thinking that the hive would only weaken over time, so out I goes, top box, first frame chokers, same with the second, and third, then out came a frame with drone brood, about the size of palm of the hand, next frame the same, thinking I now had a egg laying worker in the top box, to my surprise up pops this small young queen,    :jail:  well I took her for a queen. Checked all the experts info about egg laying worker bee, which claim that the egg laying worker does not change it shape. ……….. I smartly placed her down into the brood box. Went out a few days ago to see how she was getting on and if laying, she had been busy alright, only thing is it all drone brood, same style as egg laying worker. …………… this is the big question, could she be an unfertilized queen? she could have been locked in the top box for weeks unable to fly for mating,  now that she is down in the brood box, is she rearing drone to mate with, also would she mate with another drone from neighbour hive. I will check again in a week or so and post an update on her progress, the other baffling question is how did she get up into the top box ,  she would have come from the frame I had put in from the other hive with the fresh egg and brood, .maybe someone has the answer.  .. Lek.    :bee: :delivery:

Offline OzBuzz

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Re: A baffling question..
« Reply #1 on: August 15, 2011, 08:54:43 pm »
I would say she is an unfertile queen - i would probably suggest combining that hive with another until there's enough drones to encourage a successful mating

Offline Krustybee

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Re: A baffling question..
« Reply #2 on: August 16, 2011, 07:01:28 am »
Have you thought about just ordering a new queen that has already been mated?

Offline Grieth

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Re: A baffling question..
« Reply #3 on: August 17, 2011, 07:55:11 am »
I read somewhere thatif the queen doesn't mate within the first few weeks she never will, and just be a drone layer.  Sounds like you need to get a new queen or some brood for them to raise a new one.
"The time has come," the walrus said, "to talk of many things:
Of shoes and ships - and sealing wax - of cabbages and kings”
Lewis Carroll

Offline Grieth

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Re: A baffling question..
« Reply #4 on: August 17, 2011, 10:41:15 am »
Found where I read it.

ABC & XYZ, 41st Ed, p517:  queens can't mate after 20 to 30 days.
"The time has come," the walrus said, "to talk of many things:
Of shoes and ships - and sealing wax - of cabbages and kings”
Lewis Carroll

Offline OzBuzz

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Re: A baffling question..
« Reply #5 on: August 21, 2011, 09:12:16 pm »
Have you thought about just ordering a new queen that has already been mated?

Queens aren't available yet here in Oz (as far as i know) hence my suggestion of combining with another hive and then splitting at a later time

Offline ozbee

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Re: A baffling question..
« Reply #6 on: September 13, 2011, 07:37:47 pm »
get in touch with dpi Queensland there is a few queen breeders in the far north who supply, me being one /

Offline Michael Bush

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Re: A baffling question..
« Reply #7 on: September 14, 2011, 03:09:20 am »
>I read somewhere thatif the queen doesn't mate within the first few weeks she never will, and just be a drone layer.  Sounds like you need to get a new queen or some brood for them to raise a new one.

Huber did a lot of research on the subject.  Actually if she never mates, in my observation she never lays.  But if she mates late (22 days or more) then after she mates she lays nothing but drones.  Huber also observed that she is not as fat as a well mated queen.
My website:  bushfarms.com/bees.htm en espanol: bushfarms.com/es_bees.htm  auf deutsche: bushfarms.com/de_bees.htm  em portugues:  bushfarms.com/pt_bees.htm
My book:  ThePracticalBeekeeper.com
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"Everything works if you let it."--James "Big Boy" Medlin

Offline OzBuzz

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Re: A baffling question..
« Reply #8 on: September 14, 2011, 09:51:55 am »
get in touch with dpi Queensland there is a few queen breeders in the far north who supply, me being one /

What type of queens do you supply Ozbee?

 

anything