[Einar5107]

I am trying to learn how to raise a few queens for my own use. I tried the Miller method as it seemed the easiest. Placed it with the queen I wanted to replicate and she laid it up with eggs. Moved to a queenless colony with plenty of bees. I left it alone for 10 days.

When I checked there were 6 nice queens cells capped. I went back in 2 days later to cut some out and they were all gone! Not a trace there ever were any on the frame. I looked briefly to see if there was a virgin or 2 but didn’t see any.


I have seen remnants of emerged cells on other hives but never observed complete tear downs in 2 days before.

What the heck happened?

 

[JConnolly]

Some possibilities:

1. Your cell finisher colony wasn't really queenless.
2. You already had a queen emerge, that queen killed the other cells, and then the cells were torn down. You were on day 12 after moving the frame, that could have been day 17 since the egg was laid.
3. You may have bumped the frame a little too hard when you checked and found the six capped cells, dislodging the pupae and they perished, and the workers tore them down.

 

[Einar5107]

Would bees build 6 cells if they already had a queen? Cells were on the edges of the Miller frame.

I could see 14-15 days but can’t envision being on day 17.

 

[Gray Goose]

could have been another cell in the starter started when you created it, on the non Miller combs.
did you check the whole hive when you seen the 6 cells?
Could have been a day or 2 older on on a different frame.

GG

 

[Einar5107]

This was a weak side split with no queen or eggs. The only eggs were on the Miller frame. Would they move young larvae to another frame? I only checked the Miller frame so it’s possible there could have been a cell there. I guess another possibility is a new queen returned to the wrong hive. Anyways it has been a head scratcher.

 

[Gray Goose]

This was a weak side split with no queen or eggs. The only eggs were on the Miller frame. Would they move young larvae to another frame? I only checked the Miller frame so it’s possible there could have been a cell there. I guess another possibility is a new queen returned to the wrong hive. Anyways it has been a head scratcher.

a queen can return to the wrong hive, and as far as egg, they can also up to 48 hour larvae.
something happened, take note and compare to next time it happens, the normal easy explanation is there was another queen "somehow"

GG