Capped Brood ?

[Bob Bee]

I hived a swarm about 3 weeks ago and have been trying to inspect it once a week. I have been feeding them and I'm pretty sure that I saw the queen on my visit a week ago. They started drawing comb from the last frame (outside frame) and are working toward the middle. My question: when looking at a frame I see very white capped cells on the outside of the frame (honey) and capped yellow slightly raised cells on the center of the frame. Is this capped brood? My bee population hasn't increased in that hive since they were caught that I can tell. Does anyone have a photo of capped brood. Thanks in advance from a newbie!! smile.gif

[dcross]

<<Is this capped brood? >>

Yep!


<<My bee population hasn't increased in that hive since they were caught that I can tell. >>

It's 3 weeks from an egg to an emerging worker, so any day now...BOOM!

http://www.dpi.vic.gov.au/dpi/nreninf.nsf/LinkView/4471485295D46088CA256BCF000BBF409C54C95E58C307B34A 256DEA00273905

Scroll down a ways.

[Bob Bee]

Thanks dcross,

I was hoping that it was brood. With all the dicussion on drone cells, do they look anything like the capped brood? I think that I read that they were at the botton of the frame and not in the center also? Thanks

[Michael Bush]

Drone cells have domed caps. They look like a hemishperical cap. The worker brood is almost perfectly flat. There is no mistaking the difference. Drone brood may be anywhere. Normal drones are only in noticably larger cells.

[Bob Bee]

Thanks Michael,

I'll have to look again to see if there flat or domed, but if it drone would they be all in the center of the frame and in a good pattern? Also if there was one book that you would buy on beekeeping with pictures, what would you reccomend?
Thanks

[dcross]

Usually a swarm won't raise many drones right away.

<<but if it drone would they be all in the center of the frame and in a good pattern?>>

They can be.

[Michael Bush]

>but if it drone would they be all in the center of the frame and in a good pattern?

Certainly.

> Also if there was one book that you would buy on beekeeping with pictures, what would you reccomend?

There are plenty of pictures you can find on the internet. Use the "image" search on google or yahoo and you can find pictures of drone comb, queen cells, varroa mites on bees, varroa mites on sticky boards etc.


Thanks