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Thread: Newly hatched Q ejected from nuc

  1. #11
    Senior Member Jon's Avatar
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    I am lost now!
    The first post says there was a marked queen seen on the 20th but a later post says the queen must have been killed on the 13th.
    The first post says there were eggs on the 20th then the later post says eggs were not seen on the 20th.
    Must be some confusion re. dates.

  2. #12

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    Oooops........ the date in my first post should have been 13th April (brain-fade between my apiary and desk-top email).
    So - hive inspection 13th April (Q accident).
    Then - no eggs and 4 sealed Q cells at inspection a week later on the 20th.
    Then - dead immature Q found at nuc entrance during the week.
    Then, empty hatched Q cell in the donor colony at inspection on the 30th).
    Grateful for your patience and useful comments.

  3. #13

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    Wouldn't worry about it Alan
    The good news is the weather is improving and the new queen might get mated
    The hive will be set back though and you won't know if she is mated and laying for around 3 or 4 weeks (at a guess)


    Sent from my LIFETAB_S1034X using Tapatalk

  4. #14
    Senior Member Jon's Avatar
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    That makes sense then. If a virgin emerged around 25th April, she will be old enough to take mating flights from about 2nd May onwards.
    The weather looks good for mating flights from mid May.

    http://www.forecast.co.uk/belfast.html

    Not too many drones about at the moment but should be a lot better in 2-3 weeks.

  5. #15
    Administrator gavin's Avatar
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    Seems to fit the timing. Queen accidentally killed 13 April. Emergency cells from up to 2 day larvae (3 as egg, 2 as larva). 16-5=11. 13 April +11= 24 April. Workers let first emerged queen kill her sisters around 24/26 April. Corpse soon removed and jetisoned.

    Snap! (ish)
    Last edited by gavin; 02-05-2016 at 10:10 AM.

  6. #16

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    You have all probably got there by now. Sounds like you have it worked out.

    However......

    This is not untypical of over early inspections. I cannot imagine that Fermanagh has a season that starts a lot earlier than ours. We have done precisely ZERO main hive inspections to date. We tried a spot of queen marking about 10 days ago but abandoned it as it was both still too cold and the bees were not yet at crossover day, so raking in about them was just not needed. No drones except in defectives. Only exception has thus far been the nucs for sale. Not seen even a hint of swarm preparations.

    Going in too early sharply increases the risk of queen loss, and if you lose a queen at a very early stage of the season which means you have virgins around before there are mature drones, then you will be very lucky to have a happy outcome.

    Queen loss as a result of inspections increases with the earliness of inspections, and also in direct proportion to the number of inspections. Too many inspections, and especially very early inspections, and the risk in much increased. There is not much to be gained from inspections so early, and a lot to lose. Curiosity killed the cat?

  7. #17

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    Point taken about early inspections - neither were the conditions ideal in mid-April (or now for that matter). Last week a beek friend mentioned that at first inspection of the year a young Queen can die from "fright" - probably just another way of saying that "going in too early sharply increases the risk of Q loss".

  8. #18
    Senior Member Jon's Avatar
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    They don't die from fright! They die getting nipped between two side bars, falling off a frame into the grass, or getting balled due to the disturbance.
    An early inspection should really just be a quick check for worker brood. As soon as you see worker brood, close up. No need to find queens.
    Weekly inspections in April are not necessary this far north as the risk of losing a swarm is minimal. Beekeepers in the south of England are about a month ahead of us.
    Some people have had bees starve recently so hefting for stores is useful in April.

  9. #19

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    Spot on Jon. Balling is a real risk when going into hives in adverse circumstances. If you do it you should have a very valid reason. Plain inquisitiveness is not a good reason.

    As for queens that 'die' from fright? Well you do get queens that look as if they have dropped dead during inspections. Unless you see actual serious physical damage to her then don't assume she is dead.....she becomes unconscious ....and slowly recovers...usually 10 mins later (maybe more) she is running about the comb again as if nothing happened. Whilst not common its not rare either.

  10. #20
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    Ah yes, queens playing dead, never the most reassuring thing in beekeeping!

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