[kookaburra]

Good grief! The more I learn the more questions I have! Does that get any better?

My question...do hives destroy queen cells when they are done with them? Or will they just leave them there from year to year. I ask because while going through the hive I noticed one, maybe two on one of the frames. They swarmed late summer last year, and I saw a few left after that.

Thanks for the answers!

 

[greenbeekeeping]

I think that it is natural to have queen cells in a hive throughout the year. That way the have them if the need them. I wouldn't worry about it too much as long as you have enough room for them to build.

 

[BjornBee]

Whats the difference between a queen cup, and a queen cell?

 

[kookaburra]

Thanks

Since I'm in asking mode...
How soon do the bees start drawing comb? Anytime? Can I stick foundation in there already and have them draw that out already?

They have quite a bit of stores in the brood boxes, and was thinking of taking some of that and replacing it with foundation.

thanks
-rick

 

[kookaburra]

BTW...

A queen cup is a porcelain container that that famous lady in England drinks tea out of!!!

 

[Michael Bush]

>Good grief! The more I learn the more questions I have! Does that get any better?

No.

>My question...do hives destroy queen cells when they are done with them?

Not until they happen to be in the way. They might tear them down in a week or six months depending on if they need to do stomething there.

>Or will they just leave them there from year to year.

Probably not year to year, but they might be there for some time.

>I ask because while going through the hive I noticed one, maybe two on one of the frames. They swarmed late summer last year, and I saw a few left after that.

A lot of times the bees start a cell and never finish it. I think it's a "just in case" cell.

>Whats the difference between a queen cup, and a queen cell?

I suppose you could call the begining of a natural queen cell a cup, but usually people are refering to queen rearing where you make an artificual queen cup. It's just a queen cell that is in the begining stage where it's just big enough for the queen to lay in it (for a natural one) or for the beekeeper to graft into it.

>Since I'm in asking mode...
How soon do the bees start drawing comb? Anytime? Can I stick foundation in there already and have them draw that out already?

They draw it when they need it. If they don't have room for stores or brood or something they build more comb. If they DO have room they don't draw comb.

>They have quite a bit of stores in the brood boxes, and was thinking of taking some of that and replacing it with foundation.

That tends to make they draw comb. Probably better to do this on the outside edge of the brood nest, unless you're trying to get small cell.

>A queen cup is a porcelain container that that famous lady in England drinks tea out of!!!

That too.

 

[BjornBee]

"suppose that the beginning of a natural queen cell could be called a cup". Suppose nothing. I could show you many books referring and pointing out the difference between the two. In beekeeping dialog it helps for those in discussion to refer to one or the other, and know the difference. For someone to refer that queen cells are normal and can be found throughout the year, is incorrect. Queen cups yes, but not queen cells.

The distinct difference of cups and cells, and the proper use of the terms, goes as far as my books go back.

We have had discussions on this board involving beekeepers tearing down cups, worrying needlessly over cups, and not knowing what the differences are and when they should concern themselves when cups turn into cells, and how to "read" queen cup/cell activity. This is a important aspect of beekeeping and one should know basic beekeeping definitions. Someone keeps saying or ending thier posts with something like "if it a job worth doing, than do it well" Seems like that would fit in here.