Queen cells in new hive

It worked!! Here is one more with the open queen cell marked. So she should be in there somewhere. I’m hoping the pics of these frames don’t look too bad. What do you think?

Stacey, Given that you see larvae and capped brood you would be ok to assume you have a laying queen so that then poses the question as to why the queen cells if they are not just ‘play cells’. My first thought is that the bees may be ready to swarm.
As for not seeing eggs in the cells after about 45 years in bee keeping I still have trouble seeing them in the first few days till the larvae forms into a curve.
Bees can turn nasty for many reasons but you may be in a dearth and they are protecting the little stores they have left so you need to check if they need feeding.
Cheers

Thanks, Peter. It is reassuring to know that seeing the eggs can be difficult for anyone. I will try to not be so hard on myself as a newbie. Their stores are definitely depleted. I added the feeder and a pollen patty today. I feel a little better about how they have progressed, just thought they’d be further along at this point. But they are just like children and never seem to do what you expect them to do. Everyday is a learning experience. :honeybee:

Re your last pic with the queen cell circled it could be a ‘play cell’ or has been used to make a new queen. The colony looks strong in bee numbers and a good area of brood. So your hive was queen right very recently.
What I would do is to find the queen, maybe with the help of another bee keepers as an extra pair of eyes and mark her so that she is your known queen and easier to find again.
Feed the colony if low on stores and monitor their progress. I used to knock down a queen cell as part of swarm prevention but found that in a day or two they would make another one that wasn’t used. My thinking now is that the colony makes one or two in a ‘standby mode’ for future use if needed.
As for the number of brood boxes I would do as your locals do and that won’t be a bad choice.
Cheers

Well done on uploading the photo. I need some help because I haven’t a clue on how to circle something on a photo like you did.

Bee time can be frustratingly slow for us humans that want quick results. Stacy, don’t be hard on yourself if you can’t see the eggs, it might come to you with practice or like me if you see moisture in the brood area cells I figure there is likely eggs in them and continue with my inspection.
So very true that every day you will learn more about bees, I’ve had bees for over 45 years and still see something different and interesting. It is a very addictive hobby.
I hear that most of the U.S. is in a dearth so make sure there is food available for the bees to keep the colony strong.
I along with Jeff can’t put a circle on a pic, we are both a bit ‘old school’.
Cheers

I along with Jeff can’t put a circle on a pic, we are both a bit ‘old school’.
Cheers
[/quote]

On my iphone, I bring up the photo and click on edit. At the bottom there is a circle with 3 dots. Click on that, then choose “mark up”. If you click on the “+” sign, you can choose ways to mark the pic (circle, add arrows, text, magnifier, etc. ) Here are a few photos of my queen magnified when I installed my nuc. Have fun playing around with it.

3 Likes

I can magnify a photo but obviously can’t add a quote to a post correctly. Oh well, like I’ve said before technologically challenged. Haha!

3 Likes

You still did well, and we got to see your photos because you didn’t give up! :blush:

Thanks heaps for explaining how to circle something, it all makes it so much easier for us.
Cheers.

I am tenacious. That should serve me well in my beekeeping. :wink:

2 Likes

Update: I have been feeding the hive and my girls seem to be doing well. I have eggs! Was able to see them and got a great pic!! Didn’t spot my queen. She’s still elusive. But I know she’s there. Thanks for all your advise and support. :blush:


4 Likes

Great photos, well done. I never get tired of seeing frames of brood like the ones in your photos, especially the bottom one.
cheers

1 Like

Well done, you have a great queen laying a great frame of brood. That hive will be strong in no time. Thanks for the excellent pics.
Cheers

My goodness, what a fabulous picture of eggs. You should share that with your local bee club as a teaching photo! :blush: Well done with your hive, and with your persistence in posting beautiful photos. Round of applause for you! :grin:

1 Like

That queen is defective:
Send her to me for further observation :slight_smile:

3 Likes

The 20 character rule for posts is just silly, especially when one emoji will suffice.

:rofl:

1 Like