A couple of weeks ago I posted a thread in the "Queens" section of the forum about a queen I had videoed piping and discovered a queen still in her cell piping back. I came upon the same situation the next day in another hive after a small swarm had left. Got some better shots this time.
Just to clear a few things up before you watch it:
The dried grass iin the entrance is being used as an entrance reducer. Didn't have many bees in the box and had some cooler nights right after I put them in. Worked great and is totally natural!
Remember, these are sisters, not mother and daughter. I had put a frame in this box out of a hive that had several queen cells on the frame. I brought the small swarm home, they're building comb and she's started to lay.
Watch the bees on the cell while the one inside is piping. Notice that while the queen outside is in the immediate area and on the cell the one inside remains quiet. She gets quiet as the other approaches and it's not until the hatched queen goes to the other side and starts piping that the one inside starts again. Talk about knowing when to keep your mouth shut! It also seems strange to me that the hatched queen would stop by the queen cup next to the cell and pipe there before she climbed up on the cell to pipe. She could pipe with such force that at one time I could feel the vibrations in the frame. Even though I've seen it, I'm still not sure what they use to make the piping sound, especially if a queen inside a cell can pipe. Any answers?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBlI1sgczVYHope you enjoy the video,
Arvin