Hi Donna
You wrote:
Day 7, Things are getting interesting here, they have sealed one of the three the queen cells, one looks like they are taking it down, and one they are still working on. The cells are on the wood of the frame not on the foundation, and the wood of the observation hive. I still can not find a queen.
Reply:
Well Donna you wanted to watch the bees raise a queen. Isn't it interesting they are doing it differently? I don't think they are laying workers because the traits for that are not being seen.
But it sounds like you have emergency cells built for a queen in an unanticipated spot.
You wrote:
The temperature on the glass at the queen cells is 85 degrees, 83 anywhere else.
Reply:
I assume this is the outside glass temperature and the inside is closer to normal hive inside temp.
You wrote:
No eggs anywhere, still larva and they are getting big. I cannot see any mites on the larva. The bees seem happy and busy.
Reply:
Well this is good. Sounds like normal happenings.
You wrote:
Why do some get into an empty cell and stay there? Are they sleeping?
Reply:
This makes me ask a question Donna, Do the bees have adequate honey and pollen stores. They are not staying inside the cells and dying I hope? Can you explain this more what you are seeing here?
You wrote:
Are you sure that the worker bees can not move an egg in to another cell? What can be going on if they make a queen with no queen to lay an egg in the queen cells?
Reply:
I feel you do not have laying workers for the timing is wrong and the charcteristics you are seeing do not fit the picture for that scenario. But moving an egg!
Bees are known to move much around within a colony. They move wax, they move pollen and honey stores, and theny carry debree outside.
Could they move an egg or young larva? Yes it is possible as by the shape of their mouth parts they do have the capability.
But is this documented as actually having been seen?
Well I hope you are taking pictures of how frame looked originally when placed into the observation hive. Then the queen cells built in various stages until the one you describe has gotten capped.
You write:
I will try to take a photo of the cells how can I email it to you?
Reply:
My email is
DeeALusby1@aol.com or
deelusbybeekeeper@yahoo.com
YOu wrote:
I want you to see that the cells where not there when I put the frame of bees and brood in the observation hive they where built on to the side after I put them in. there could not be an egg in them.
Reply:
Like I said Donna photograph the progression and have your friends continue to watch and help you verify.
Should you get a queen out and then successfully mated and have pictures to show the event in actual sequence, I would make copies of the pictures and forward them to either Kim Flottum at Bee Culture or Joe Graham at American Bee Journal.
Now if the queen cell doesn't hatch 5-7 days after capping don't stop watching!!! For other interesting things will start to happen if your bees really want to survive and raise a queen.
YOu sure have an interesting project going on.
Will talk to you in a few more days to see how you are coming with the bees trying to raise a queen.
Chow
Dee A. Lusby