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Author Topic: Queen Cell question  (Read 4756 times)

Offline jmblakeney

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Queen Cell question
« on: April 01, 2013, 10:02:52 pm »
I got another bee tree call about a month ago.  They stated that the tree had fell during a storm and the hive was laying on the ground exposed.  I got there and the tree was on the ground and the complete hive was exposed.  Temps at that time were very cold.  It actually snowed that morning.  I salvaged what I could and brought them home.  The queen did not make it.  (please don't ask me how I know this)

After they were at my apiary and the temps allowed (about a week) I went through the hive to check things out.  I found by this time they had a laying worker.  I got a frame of brood and placed it in hoping they would raise a queen cell.  I told myself I would do this up to 3 times max so I wouldn't harm my strong hives hives that I was getting the brood from.  Well, 3 frames over three weeks went in.  Today was the day I checked my last frame off eggs that I put in last week.  I found no QC's on that frame.  

What I did find though was weird, or at least I thought so.  I found a QC with larva in it on the frame adjacent to the last frame of eggs that was put in.  The frame that had the QC is not one of the frame of eggs that was put in.  Is this normal?  I know they will float an egg out of a cell to create a QC in an emergency situation but will they actually move an egg to a whole other cell?  Surely they wouldn't create a QC with a drone egg, would they?

Anyway here is a pic of the QC.


The QC is not capped and there is a larvae in it.  This is just confusing me.  The frame it is on is one of the two frames of brood that was taken from the original hive in the tree that fell.
« Last Edit: April 01, 2013, 10:49:01 pm by jmblakeney »
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Online BeeMaster2

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Re: Queen Cell question
« Reply #1 on: April 01, 2013, 11:25:49 pm »
JM,
That looks like a viable queen cell.is there a lot of royal jelly in the back of the cell. That queen cell was developed from an egg laid in a regular worker cell and converted to a queen cell.
According to one of the speakers at the bee college in St Augustine this year, it is possible for an unmated female bee to lay a female egg that could be a turned into a queen bee.
Jim
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Offline jmblakeney

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Re: Queen Cell question
« Reply #2 on: April 01, 2013, 11:38:12 pm »
JM,
is there a lot of royal jelly in the back of the cell.
I don't know.  The larvae is quite big right know and I really wasn't looking for royal jelly to be honest.  Once I saw the queen cell on this other frame I was so confused.  I saw the larvae and put it back in place.  The hive, being queenless, is really testy.  I had a couple headbutts to the forehead.  I really didn't want to be poped in the eye so closed the hive back up rather quickly after seeing it.
According to one of the speakers at the bee college in St Augustine this year, it is possible for an unmated female bee to lay a female egg that could be a turned into a queen bee.
I have never heard this before.  Interesting.  That would explain things.  I just couldn't see them moving a fertilized egg into another cell.  From what I have read and been taught, that would've been the only way that could've happened.  I will see if I can find anything in print about the laying worker being able to produce a fertile egg.

Thanks,
James
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Online BeeMaster2

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Re: Queen Cell question
« Reply #3 on: April 01, 2013, 11:48:51 pm »
According to the speaker, almost all species are capable of doing it. But the higher/more complex the species the rarer it is. He even mentioned that it is possible for it to happen in humans and gave some very large number for odds. He was teaching bee biology. He had his doctorate in bugs. It is not uncommon for bugs to be able to do it.
Jim
Democracy is 2 wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote.
Ben Franklin

Offline jmblakeney

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Re: Queen Cell question
« Reply #4 on: April 01, 2013, 11:49:50 pm »
The following is from Dave Cushman's site.  He doesn't really go into much detail about it, but it reads as follows:

Worker Ovary Development

In a queenright honey bee colony, the workers have ovaries, but are rarely fertile (only about 1 Apis mellifera worker in 10,000 has fully activated ovaries.[1] and this is similar in other Apidae within the Hymenoptera order.
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Offline Michael Bush

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Re: Queen Cell question
« Reply #5 on: April 02, 2013, 10:20:26 am »
>it is possible for an unmated female bee to lay a female egg that could be a turned into a queen bee.

Thelytoky

http://www.beesource.com/point-of-view/ed-dee-lusby/historical-data-on-the-influence-of-cell-size/thelytoky-in-a-strain-of-us-honey-bees-apis-mellifera-l/
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Offline jmblakeney

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Queen Cell question UPDATED!
« Reply #6 on: April 09, 2013, 06:35:10 pm »
Folks, I don't believe it.  I went into the hive just a little bit ago and the queen cell is now torn down and I saw the queen running around.  I even seen a few eggs.  There were a few queen cups, but nothing in them.  I just can't believe it.  This queen was raised from eggs layed by a laying worker.  This just blows my mind.  The frame that she was raised in her queen cell on was one of the two frames that I rubberbanded the orginal brood from the tree into.  The laying workers layed eggs into this frame.  Ok, now I feel like I am rambling.

Just wanted to update you all.

James
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Offline Fox Creek

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Re: Queen Cell question
« Reply #7 on: April 13, 2013, 02:09:00 am »
    Too cool!  X:X

 

anything