Queen with a broken leg
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8
I have seen this queen in my old laying worker hive. She is a daughter of the origional queen in this hive and she has a broken leg. Its the rear right as you were staring at her from the top, head up. It has NOT impeded her laying capability in any way and she is laying than some of my other hives. The patterns are tight and nice and really look good. The hive is strong.
I have always heard that some will damage a queen so the hive will supercede her, but these bees don't seem to mind it at all. She is having no problems what so ever. I was really surprised they hadnt replaced her yet. Anyone else ever seen this before? She has been this way since before the end of May. I didn't do it, but i suspect that it happened when she was balled while dealing with the laying worker hive and getting a grip on it....she was a lover and now is a fighter...LOL.
I have always heard that some will damage a queen so the hive will supercede her, but these bees don't seem to mind it at all. She is having no problems what so ever. I was really surprised they hadnt replaced her yet. Anyone else ever seen this before? She has been this way since before the end of May. I didn't do it, but i suspect that it happened when she was balled while dealing with the laying worker hive and getting a grip on it....she was a lover and now is a fighter...LOL.
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Keep me in coach, I'm ok, I'll just walk it off a little.
If the other bees don't mind, I say leave it alone. I have seen where queens with missing legs continue on with the bees not giving it much thought, the worst though, from what I'm told, is when it's a front leg. She can't measure the cell properly and thinks every cell is a drone cell. Before you know it, you've got a queen putting down nothing but drones in worker cells.
C2
If the other bees don't mind, I say leave it alone. I have seen where queens with missing legs continue on with the bees not giving it much thought, the worst though, from what I'm told, is when it's a front leg. She can't measure the cell properly and thinks every cell is a drone cell. Before you know it, you've got a queen putting down nothing but drones in worker cells.
C2
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840 Posts
it's shameful the lengths some people will go to "motivate" their bees.
Where did you go to bee school, the ' Al Capone School of Beekeeping'?
if you wanted her to lay more eggs, a quick pep talk might have done just as well, or was the hive behind on honey production and you just needed to set an example?
Big Bear
Where did you go to bee school, the ' Al Capone School of Beekeeping'?
if you wanted her to lay more eggs, a quick pep talk might have done just as well, or was the hive behind on honey production and you just needed to set an example?
Big Bear
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290 Posts
I am so glad to hear about this. One of my Russian queens that emerged 4th of July weekend has a damaged rearmost leg that she sort of drags along. Her retinue doesn't seem to mind, but as I'm combining this nuc with another, I'm a little worried about what her new subjects will do.
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She's one of two that emerged from my lost Porter Russian, and looks nothing like her mother. She does look like her sister queen tho.
She's one of two that emerged from my lost Porter Russian, and looks nothing like her mother. She does look like her sister queen tho.
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55 Posts
Having a damaged leg probably won't make any difference, as long as she can lay in the bottom center of the cells. When beeks clip a middle or rear leg to stimulate supercedure, they are removing the tarsal pheromone glands that keep the hive queenright. If those glands are removed or damaged, then you will get supercedure.
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