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Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology

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From:
Computer Software Solutions Ltd <[log in to unmask]>
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Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Wed, 4 Aug 1999 14:13:17 +0100
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Hello All

While working with another beekeeper recently, I came across what to me at
any rate, was a remarkable situation.

The hive consisted of a single brood chamber, a queen excluder and three supers.

We were carrying out routine swarm control - the hive had built queen cells
as at our last visit and we had cut them all out. We could not find the
queen in the brood chamber and we could find no eggs or young larvae there
either. We thus concluded that if she were in the hive that she had somehow
got past the queen excluder, which turned out to be correct. Detailed
examination of the queen excluder revealed no obvious weakness in it.

We then searched the supers which at this stage had a lot of eggs and brood
in all stages and sure enough my eagle eyed friend found her. The queen was
what he considered to be of normal size which deepened the problem as to how
she got past the excluder.

He then decided to remove the queen from the hive (I used her in a queenless
hive), and cut out all sealed queen cells, leaving unsealed cells.

The plan then was to return in 7 days and cut out all sealed queen cells
except one. (This is my friend's standard approach).

When I returned in 7 days, I found an unsealed queen cell in the brood
chamber, a location where there was absolutely no evidence of queen activity
on the previous visit.

Two questions arise in my mind as a result of these examinations.

1. How did the queen get above the excluder?.

2. How did an egg appear in the brood chamber after we had removed the queen
when we were satisfied that there were no eggs in the brood chamber?.

My friend opined that the bees sometimes transport eggs from one box to
another. I have never before heard of this nor have I come across it in
anything I have read.

A possible answer to 1. above is that the queen somehow slipped into a super
during a previous examination. I was told by an experienced beekeeper to
always examine the underside of the queen excluder as soon as I remove it to
ensure that the queen is not on it and this I always do. (Of course I could
have missed her and she would then be outside the brood chamber.)

But no. 2. above is to me, a total mystery.

Any light which can be shed on the above would be most appreciated.

Sincerely

Tom Barrett
49 South Park, Foxrock
Dublin 18
Ireland
Tel + 353 1 289 5269
Fax + 353 1 289 9940

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