Nicot mistake - the bees cannot count

[JohnBeeMan]

I got out voted by the bees I guess it is me that cannot count.

I went into the finisher hive to place roller cages over the cell cells to protect them in case they hatched eary. To my surprise, I was too late. All had hatched except for one cell. The empty cells all still had the small flap where the queen had emerged.

This is day 15 since I put queen in to lay eggs, so it is 14 days for the new queens. I figured 2 more days.

I did manage to save something however. As I was looking through the hive I found 4 virgins on a single frame. They were all just moving around on the same side on the frame - looking for battle possibly. I captured them into roller cages and now have them back onto the nicot bar. I broke up the finisher into 2 frame nucs and plan to leave the rollers in one nuc for a few days in order to see if I have other new queens that I missed.

[CSbees]

How old were the larva that you grafted?

[JohnBeeMan]

1- day old larva when I moved them from the Nicot grid. They were not much bigger than an egg.

[Michael Bush]

In hot weather they usually emerge a day early. In really hot weather they may even emerge 2 days early. In cold weather they often emerge a day late and in really cold weather they sometimes emerge 2 days late.

[JohnBeeMan]

Thanks, MB. That would explain it. Temps have been in the mid to high 90s every day.

[bee crazy]

In hot weather they usually emerge a day early. In really hot weather they may even emerge 2 days early. In cold weather they often emerge a day late and in really cold weather they sometimes emerge 2 days late.

Exactly, I had this happen to me last year, doesn't it just break your heart?

[Michael Bush]

>doesn't it just break your heart?

http://www.bushfarms.com/images/MissedQueenCell.JPG

Yes.

[JohnBeeMan]

MB, that makes me fill so much better - as a rank amateur.