Hey all. Need some help. Basically what is that little thing in the pix?? A dud queen, laying worker? I will be brief.
4/27 hive booming, early uncapped swarm cells w larvae. I pulled my 3 yo carniolan queen to a nuc. 1 week later, culled down to 3 queen cells.
5/28 can't find a queen but on one frame a few capped drone cells and open drone larvae.
5/29. Good brood pattern when I can finally get enough light to see well. Small brood in worker cells but bigger brood looks like it is in drone cells. Can't find queen.
Thought I had a laying worker problem til I saw this little jet black bee lay an egg surrounded by a circle of attendants. She's no bigger than a worker!!!!!! Also, I am not good at seeing eggs but it looks like only one egg per cell.
Questions: do good queens ever start out like this?
Why so little?
Do drone brood start out in worker sized cells?? Then get enlarged cellsas they grow??
I put her in a cage til I get some answers since it took two days to find her. Thanks!!
