Picture puzzle

[Stromnessbees]

Very slow progress at the other forum ...

http://www.britishbee.org.uk/forum/s...4190#post44190

[Calum]

Hi
ok here is my submission, what is going on here? There are two possibilities. Only one is right.

[Jon]

I would say it is a new queen laying too many eggs, perhaps due to restricted space.
It's not laying workers as the eggs are at the bottom of the cell rather than the side.
I see this quite a lot especially in apideas.

[Stromnessbees]

I had several lively debates with other beekeepers about the unusual comb and the eggs/larvae in it.

So here a more recent picture of that same comb:

DSCF5570..jpg

The bees have not expanded the area of brood on there, they prefer using the regular worker comb on the adjoinig frames.

Here's a close-up:

DSCF5582..jpg

I have uncapped three cells to verify that the cells contain workers and not drones.


In comparison a drone at approximately the same stage of development (photo from a different colony):

DSCF4478..jpg

Of course this is not great for comparing as it's another odd one, but it's the only photo I have of a drone pupa. Maybe somebody else can help out?

Doris