Piping queen

Today I made a quick impromptu visit to the hive, just a nosy really and to watch them coming in and out, so didn't have my equipment with me. I thought they looked a wee bit agitated at the entrance, but not much pollen going in and it had just finished putting down a shower. So, I couldn't resist a quick look under the crown board to ensure all was well in there - the bees were extremely calm, and for the very first time I heard the Queen piping. So, my question is - what is the most likely reason for the Queen piping ? I have done the obligatory google search along with consulting the various books and come up with a variety of answers just to confuse me even further - found quacking queens and tooting queens too - mine certainly pipes - she is after all a Scottish queen - how else would she conduct herself and qualify for that status !

We have twice heard a very unusual sound. Not sure I could call it piping. This I will rush off to YouTube to see if they have a piping queen.

Some good films on YouTube and not what I heard in our hive. Is it just virgin queens that pipe? It certainly is remarkably like Scottish piping!

If its a 'peeeeeee - peee peee peee peee peee pee pee pee pee pee'

... then you have a queen (old queen or next available virgin) issuing a challenge (or simply a call) which will be answered by a queen ready to hatch. If they call is answered then the colony or the challenging queen has a choice: fight or fly. Maybe the workers decide what happens next, not sure. The workers will certainly stop the next queen(s) emerging until they are ready. Some say they physically prevent emergence, perhaps they are desperately signalling to the queen to not cut herself out. Certainly after you disturb the colony the queens ready to hatch do cut themselves out - you can hear the scratching noise.

The queen piping is a queen 'asking' if there is another one ready to emerge. In good weather the next act is usually the emergence of a swarm. So you have work to do!

G.