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Author Topic: My Dark Queen from the Cut out, Worker Layer, Swarm cell?  (Read 10636 times)

Offline Angi_H

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My Dark Queen from the Cut out, Worker Layer, Swarm cell?
« on: March 25, 2008, 01:59:26 am »
Ok Remember I told everyone in my cutout board that I had trouble finding the queen. And then the other day I found her. They have been going through syrup fast and had to refill again today so I took pictures. She is very dark. She is in the middle box and is laying nicely. But I noticed I have a worker that is laying. There in the top box and there are 2 to 3 eggs per cell there. What do I do about that. I also noticed in the frame next to where the queen is that there is what looks like a Queen cell started there is also a egg in there now with royal jelly. This is new from the last 4 days. what should I do about that as well. There is still no evidence of Varoa none at all. Drone cells are even still clean as I took out a secton of come that was mostly hatched out except a few drones and replaced it with foundation. I opened the drone brood to find no mites in any of them. These are in the area where the worker is laying. I think why the hive has so many drones is because of that worker. Unless the queen is moving between boxes and laying carelessy. Here are the pictures and I need feed back.



here is one close up of her she is very dark and her wings look like crud. When I first saw her she was a little fatter, Do you think they are getting ready to swarm here is the other picture of her below.



you can see her good in this picture. Look below for the picture of the superceder cell or swarm cell it is high on the frame in the middle of the box next to the frame where the queen is now. There is an egg in there with royal jelly.



So Feedback would be good. Brendan, Jp, All you all lol.


Angi

Offline Angi_H

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Re: My Dark Queen from the Cut out, Worker Layer, Swarm cell?
« Reply #1 on: March 25, 2008, 02:03:48 am »
I am picking up my packages on Monday and I can easily get a queen if you think I should re queen.  There are bees still hatching and there numbers are up there. They have undrawn foundation and are drawing out foundation and they have a 3rd box that was added the last time which they are in.

See how dark she is and boy is she hard to find especially when she was on the dark comb she almost dissapeared. Oh and they are chewing through the rubber bands and pulling them out of the hive. There is a nice pile in front of rubber bands.

Angi

Offline Jerrymac

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Re: My Dark Queen from the Cut out, Worker Layer, Swarm cell?
« Reply #2 on: March 25, 2008, 02:34:30 am »
Probably a superceder cell. They could be ready to replace her. Are her wings clipped?

Just because they just swarmed doesn't mean she is in great shape. Could be old and about done in. Perhaps she is the one putting multiple eggs in and is why they want to get rid of her. I would let them do their thing. They know what is best.

Yeah, ferals never have mites, didn't you know that
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Offline Angi_H

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Re: My Dark Queen from the Cut out, Worker Layer, Swarm cell?
« Reply #3 on: March 25, 2008, 03:49:57 am »
If you look in the removal section this was a hive I removed over a week ago from an attic. Looked to jp and I that they had been there for over 2 ,2 1/2 years I had removed the ones when I removed the hive from the house. There are tons of drones in that hive more then 15%. I would say like 1?4 to 1/3 are drones. So she must be getting low on sperm. Aint she dark though. My god She is the darkest I have seen even on pictures. I would like to get a few more queens from her though Maybe they will make more. Maybe I will run to dadant tomorrow and pick up some queen cups and transfer some stuff over and let them go at it. Wouldnt mind having more then one hive of that genetics of no mites and being able to survive.

Angi

Offline Angi_H

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Re: My Dark Queen from the Cut out, Worker Layer, Swarm cell?
« Reply #4 on: March 25, 2008, 03:51:27 am »
Oh on the Clipped Wings I thought the same thing. But how would they have flown 12 feet up and built a hive in the house attic/soffet. They do look short to me as well.


Angi

Offline JP

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Re: My Dark Queen from the Cut out, Worker Layer, Swarm cell?
« Reply #5 on: March 25, 2008, 05:14:32 am »
Angi, good catch spotting a dark queen, its not always an easy task to do! She is being superceded is my guess, she looks kinda old and ratty. Her wings do look like they're clipped, weird. I would let them make a new queen, you could speed things up by 86ing her, could use her then for swarm lure.


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Online Michael Bush

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Re: My Dark Queen from the Cut out, Worker Layer, Swarm cell?
« Reply #6 on: March 25, 2008, 06:36:03 am »
As long as they are clipped on both sides and there's 3/4 of them left or so and she's slimmed down to swarm, she can fly.

She doesn't look THAT dark to me.  Not yellow, but not black.
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Offline Jerrymac

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Re: My Dark Queen from the Cut out, Worker Layer, Swarm cell?
« Reply #7 on: March 25, 2008, 10:19:10 am »
Angi,

Did you happen to measure any of their old brood cells? Were you letting them build their own comb and if so what does it measure? Just curious.
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Re: My Dark Queen from the Cut out, Worker Layer, Swarm cell?
« Reply #8 on: March 25, 2008, 12:00:33 pm »
>Did you happen to measure any of their old brood cells?

Yes.  Especially at the center.  :)
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Offline Brian D. Bray

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Re: My Dark Queen from the Cut out, Worker Layer, Swarm cell?
« Reply #9 on: March 25, 2008, 09:13:09 pm »
I would venture to add my agreement with the superciedure equation.  If their were going to swarm there would most likely be more cells, that there is only one queen cell usually means supercedure regardless of its location in the hive.
Any large hive is apt to have one or more laying workers.  The further away from the actual queens location the more likely it is.  If, from a cutout, you put brood comb or comb that was adjacent to brood comb in a different box from the queen and most of the brood the more likely for a laying worker to develop.  A weak queen, getting into her dotterage, is also more likely for a laying worker to develop has her phernomes are less potent.

I wouldn't worry about it, a new young queen will cure this problem on her own once is beings laying.  The laying worker may also have been initiated in order to produce sufficient drones for supercedure, especially if you removed most of the drone comb during the cutout process.  The bees would still try to compensate for lack of breeding drones even if the delay in incubation of drone eggs is longer. 
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Offline jimmy_in_texas

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Re: My Dark Queen from the Cut out, Worker Layer, Swarm cell?
« Reply #10 on: March 25, 2008, 11:44:39 pm »
I had a somewhat similar situation last summer when my hive population peaked around august, I didnt have any queen problems but the bottom deep was so full of worker brood that the queen probably never bothered to go up, there were at least two full frames of drone brood covered with workers in the top deep, some of them probably doing the laying.  it was kinda cruel because they got evicted not long after.

mine are yellow italians, but I do see some very black foragers around here, no brown or yellow color, they are really black, I'll bet their queen would be fun to find.

Offline Angi_H

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Re: My Dark Queen from the Cut out, Worker Layer, Swarm cell?
« Reply #11 on: March 26, 2008, 02:24:53 am »
She is almost a mahonogy color. Well I got 2 1/2 boxes of comb from the hive. The picture where you see the superceder cell is from the cutout. I have tons of the old comb laying around I was letting them robb out the honey stores. And they have been drawing the new foundation like a mad man. I can measure if someone tells me how again. Can we use the centemeter measures on the ruler? I can say one thing they are not as small as the hive I took out of the tree and they got drowned in the feeder when the lid cracked. they were tiny compaired to these. I will measure the brood comb hanging out here. And get back to you all tomorrow. What ever honey I could not do crush and strain on and could not fasten to frames I have been letting them robb it out. Then the white wax I have been melting it the other stuff is going in the compost pile so when we light it on fire it will burn better.  There are now as of yesterday 3 new frames and one old frame of new eggs. Some have 2 to 3 eggs in there. I so hate to kill her off. There is now 3 meds of bees allready yes there is undrawn foundation but they are all over the 3 boxes.  There is an egg in the superceder cell. As I saw it in there with the royal jelly. It was new from Sat. The cell so maybe only now 4 days old. How much more time Do I have before she will hatch I forgot. Do you think I could take the old queen and give her some capped brood and some bees and put her in a nuc? I know she looks ratty but maybe the nuc will also build a queen then I can have 2 hives of these bees. And there no mites if a big plus.  Also Another question even though they do not have mites should I go ahead and start powder sugar shakes on them? They are using the water tray I  made for them and are mixing with other bees. I hope they dont get mites from them. They are very hygenic. As they are removing all of the rubber bands in the hive. All of which I would like to keep these trates around in more then one hive. Do you think it is to early to take some of the brood in the old comb still and put the queen in the nuc. And let the others build there queen and work the eggs in the hive like they are. There are still tons of drones and more due to hatch out. I left them with drone cells that were capped. I sure like her color though. But boy was she hard to find. The only way I found her was when she was on the foundation. Then I could really see her well. I also wanted to thank you all for all of the help. This hive is sure a keeper and they are building fast.

Angi

Offline Jerrymac

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Re: My Dark Queen from the Cut out, Worker Layer, Swarm cell?
« Reply #12 on: March 26, 2008, 02:40:44 am »
You want to measure the middle of the brood nest, not the honey storage or drone comb as those will be a lot bigger cells.

Ruler is fine, just like this. Count ten cells. In this case it averages to be 4.8 (note the beginning is not quit on the cell wall.)

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Offline Angi_H

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Re: My Dark Queen from the Cut out, Worker Layer, Swarm cell?
« Reply #13 on: March 26, 2008, 03:01:48 am »
Thats easy enough to do and I have tons of rulers with mm/cm marks. I will do that tomorrow and let you all know.

Angi

Offline annette

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Re: My Dark Queen from the Cut out, Worker Layer, Swarm cell?
« Reply #14 on: March 26, 2008, 01:26:57 pm »
Angi

What you drinking?????

Offline Understudy

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Re: My Dark Queen from the Cut out, Worker Layer, Swarm cell?
« Reply #15 on: March 26, 2008, 02:34:42 pm »
Very nice job on the cutout. I wouldn't worry to much about the supercedure cell.

Just keep an eye on the hive and keep feeding as it needs it. Watch out for wax moth.

Don't disturb to often you want her to keep laying. Check for fresh eggs and larva.

Sincerely,
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Offline Angi_H

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Re: My Dark Queen from the Cut out, Worker Layer, Swarm cell?
« Reply #16 on: March 27, 2008, 12:34:40 am »
Annette what do you mean about what have I been drinking?Huh? I am so confused.


Ok so about cell size here is what the measurements were today. The measurements are 4.8mm Now I feel bad I gave them some foundation to draw out. I might go and buy small cell foundation for the empty frames I have here and slowly work those in to them. I dont want to make them get bigger with reg foundation. Either that or give them small cell starter strips and let them go. Will they be ok for a while with the foundation they have now? As I can go by Dadant tomorrow on the way to town and pick up some small cell foundation and what ever foundation is not drawn out yet replace it with the small cell closest to what they are currently drawing from the cutout.  I would still like to know what was ment by what are you drinking??? I am on meds for my chronic pain and degenerative discs in my back and my fibro and TMJ. So that is all I am taking no drinking Just Pepsi.


Angi

Offline annette

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Re: My Dark Queen from the Cut out, Worker Layer, Swarm cell?
« Reply #17 on: March 27, 2008, 12:42:27 am »
Your avitar is drinking something!!!!

Offline JP

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Re: My Dark Queen from the Cut out, Worker Layer, Swarm cell?
« Reply #18 on: March 27, 2008, 12:45:09 am »
Angi, I would put them on small cell and 86 the reg. foundation. Not good to mix and match. Others will give you the long version as to why, I'm too tired for a longer explanation right now.


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Offline Angi_H

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Re: My Dark Queen from the Cut out, Worker Layer, Swarm cell?
« Reply #19 on: March 27, 2008, 12:49:34 am »
lol ok Dadant here I come tomorrow. TO bad I can not buy it already in frames.  Thanks JP. I def dont want to mess with there ability to draw out small cell. Now where they had just honey and pollen stored it was 5.1mm.


Oh Ok Annette it is Cola. I can drink a 24 pack or more a week.


Angi