Charged queen cells versus queen cups.

First, yes. Second, no. Not to say that the queen won't be laying an egg in it soon...

JWPalmer said:

First, yes. Second, no. Not to say that the queen won't be laying an egg in it soon...

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Then, do you know if a virgin queen can get through a queen excluder?

For fear the "good idea fairy" is whispering in you ear, what's your plan?

msl said:

For fear the "good idea fairy" is whispering in you ear, what's your plan?

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OMG! You really dont want to know. LOL.
Its a 10 frame nuc idea. I just made 2 of them today. The first hive was full of bees but no queen cells. The second hive had prolly 10.
I put a 10 frame deep as a base. Then a QE. Then 2, 5 frame nucs on top. All I had to do was add 2 shims to make up the difference in width to close the overhang at the bottom of the nucs.
Alot of the frames I put in the nucs had brood without drone cells . But I'm thinking some had queen cells. So I'm wondering if I need to go back and move those frames down in a few days, or let them hatch and they will go right through the QE.
Also I know I'm going to have to replicate a swarm. So......................

Generally, a queen, even a virgin cannot get through a QE due to the size of their thorax. But it can happen. Still not sure what the end game is, but you are starting out like using a Cloake board, I think, except the cells are already started. You need to provide each nuc with an entrance.

JWPalmer said:

Generally, a queen, even a virgin cannot get through a QE due to the size of their thorax. But it can happen. Still not sure what the end game is, but you are starting out like using a Cloake board, I think, except the cells are already started. You need to provide each nuc with an entrance.

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I am just trying to keep the bees in like production mode more of the time. I am not dividing the 10 frame base. I am having that as a single brood chamber. Then the bees in the upper chambers dont have that??? What do they call it when the bees have too much space? Demoralized? So I'm hoping to be able to add or make a bigger buffer for the 80 percent full rule before adding another box. Just think if you could add 2 , 5 frame boxes on each side of your nuc stack at the time. How much time could that buy bee keepers? That would be the equivelant to 2 10 frame deeps.
It might take a 2 , 10 frame for a brood chamber , but I'm going to see what happens with a single first. Also you know my small cell numbers deal probably. I use small cell strictly for population, not for control of any pests. So hopefully the single brood chamber will provide enough bees for the task.

The first one is definitely a charged queen cell. The second one is polished, so, it will soon have an egg.

To me, it does look like a colony that is on it's way to swarming, and they will swarm if one doesn't do something that prevents a swarm. Depending on a few things, it's likely to late for 'deterence', and you must go for 'prevention' at this point. Any backfill in the brood nest will confirm that. Assuming the cell in the first photo is the most advanced cell in the colony, they are anywhere from 3 to 10 days from swarming. Swarm may leave as early as the day that cell is capped, or as late as the day before it emerges, which is where the 3 to 10 days numbers come from.

Bottom line, if you leave the cells, and the queen in the colony, it will swarm.

grozzie2 said:

The first one is definitely a charged queen cell. The second one is polished, so, it will soon have an egg.

To me, it does look like a colony that is on it's way to swarming, and they will swarm if one doesn't do something that prevents a swarm. Depending on a few things, it's likely to late for 'deterence', and you must go for 'prevention' at this point. Any backfill in the brood nest will confirm that. Assuming the cell in the first photo is the most advanced cell in the colony, they are anywhere from 3 to 10 days from swarming. Swarm may leave as early as the day that cell is capped, or as late as the day before it emerges, which is where the 3 to 10 days numbers come from.

Bottom line, if you leave the cells, and the queen in the colony, it will swarm.

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I think I'm going to move the hive 100 yards or so. Put another box in the old spot. Catch the queen and put her in the old spot with 1 frame of comb and the rest foundation. Hoping the foragers will go back to the original position and queen. All I should have in the new position are nurse bees and some resources ready for a new queen.
And thanks for the timeline. Gotta stay on these gals!

Thanks yall!