In the hive – looking for bee eggs

So there I was again – and this time is was hot and sunny – this is what dreams are made of.

I am on a mission.  I need a structure to my hive checks.

Status: One hive which swarmed 2 weeks ago

Objective: Look for eggs, Queen and Queen cells

Results: I found 6 Queen cells (I know what these look like now).  I could not see bee eggs or a Queen (which does not mean they were not present).  Photos, like the one below, played tricks with my mind, but I think the white lines you can see when you zoom in, are light reflections rather than eggs.

Post hive check research: I checked beekeeping books and the internet to double check what bee eggs look like.  Nope – none of them.  I had a few texts and made a phone call – advice ranged from “assume there is a Queen and destroy all the Queen cells”, to, “you won’t have a Queen yet, but destroy all the Queen cells bar one (or two)” – to reduce after swarms I presume.

Analysis:  Risk that there is no Queen yet – hence, best to keep some of the Queen cells.  Risk that I might destroy the best Queen cells.  Eek.

Decision: Let nature take its course.  Let a Queen emerge and kill the other Queens and take a risk of further swarms. Sorry neighbours – but any swarm will be small as they already swarmed 3 weeks ago.

Good news: The Super appeared pretty heavy and a number of cells were capped, so I added a second super.

Reflection #1: It’s a relief I only have one hive as I am struggling just to keep up with building flat pack parts and manage the one hive.

Reflection #2: I am starting to feel more confident.  I am starting to let go of being a perfect beekeeper in my first few weeks.  I am starting to learn about the bees.  A former boss used to say “just do what you can”.  I think I am beginning to be able to adopt this attitude to beekeeping.

If you liked this post you might want to read some of my favourite posts.

Author: Roger

regaining my sanity through beekeeping View all posts by Roger