Another full inspection reveals no Queen cells (I think) but a few open drone brood cells that look a bit like Queen cups because of their size. No eggs or larvae were in any of them, and the Queen is still in the hive (and moving towards the right hand side of the picture). I think I will try and have a look at a few pictures of Queen cups / Queen cells to give me more confidence...
2nd super is completely empty of bees let alone drawn out comb - maybe we were a tad premature! Still no capped honey in the first super either.
I also looked at the varroa tray - I counted about 8 mites over a week but in all honesty, there was so much rubbish on there I dont think this was even vaguely accurate. Will try again and do a two or three day check.
Robin and some of the other Frome beekeepers are reporting Queen Cells in their hives, so I will try and be extra vigilant and do the next inspection on thursday.
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Hi Pia, I never saw your last post until now but I can report that my hive is like yours and Kenzie's. I put on an extra super yesterday to make room as they were bubbling out. I had a brood chamber and super below the Q Ex so there should be plenty of space for laying. No queen cells yet. The thing that has surprised me (getting my hive late in the season 2009) is how developed the colony is. Kinda scary to think how quickly the population can build up.
ReplyDeleteI agree - I hadnt expected there to be so many bees so early...
ReplyDeleteAre your super frames sealed? I wonder if giving them the extra space below will make the bees less likely to swarm - will be interesting to see!!