F... U... N... E... X... ?
EGGS IN THEIR CELLS
F… U… N… E… X…?
If you're old enough to remember the hilarious “Swedish Made Simple” sketch by The Two Ronnies, you’ll recall a whole conversation made up of subtitles from single letters. Genius!
If that left you scratching your head, don’t worry. Stick with me—by the end of this blog, all will bee revealed…
THE TALE OF THE HYGEINE QUEEN… (OR NOT)
Last month, I introduced you to what I believed was a super-sanitary colony, led by a so-called “Hygiene Queen.” She was supposed to be setting the gold standard for hive cleanliness.
Well… I was wrong. Flat-on-my-face wrong.
The patchy brood and odd behaviour weren’t signs of elite housekeeping - as I was lead to believe - they pointed to a genetic condition called bald brood, where healthy pupae are uncapped too early due to a genetic marker in the queen.
So what does that mean?
The pupae survive—but often emerge as weaker adults.
Colony health declines.
Progress slows.
The hive ultimately suffers.
With a heavy heart, I made the tough call: the queen had to go.
But how?
As a vegetarian, I couldn’t bring myself to simply squash her. Instead, I placed her in the freezer, I know…harsh… but I wanted to preserve her for educational purposes - now she’ll help me teach others what a mated queen looks like. It was the most respectful path I could take.
Beekeeper’s tip:
If you ever see capped brood with exposed eyes peeking out—it's likely bald brood. Now I know the signs… and you do too.
WHAT NOW?
Re-queen. It’s the queen that carries the genetic flaw not the colony.
SWARMS GALORE!
A warm spring triggered a floral explosion, colonies grew rapidly, and many hives became overcrowded. When that happens, bees do what bees do best: they split and search for new homes.
Three of the hives I look after (two of mine, one a friend's) swarmed.
And yes… they all got away.
I normally catch them before this happens, but this year, they were ahead of me. All three had already produced queen cells and departed before I got there.
The Rescue Plan
I chose one queen cell in each hive (usually the one the bees favoured most).
Removed the others to prevent more swarms.
Then… waited.
HOW LONG UNTIL THE NEW QUEEN LAYS EGGS?
Here’s a rough timeline:
Day 1–3: Workers start feeding with royal jelly.
Day 8–9: Queen cell is capped.
Day 16: Virgin queen emerges.
Day 20–24: Mating flights.
Day 26–30+: If successful, she starts laying!
That’s at least five weeks of nail-biting for the beekeeper.
So, after weeks of tension, I opened a hive and saw them - tiny, white eggs standing upright in cells like pins of hope. (See the image at the top of the page).
This was the same in all three hives…They’d done it! New queens, mated and laying. No honey yet - but plenty of promise.
The answer to the question ```
“F… U… N…E…X…?”
“S…V… F…X…!”
NOW ON TO QUEEN SPOTTING
My friend Sally Owen asked me over to her apiary to help her find a couple of elusive queens. I’ve gained a bit of a reputation for “queen spotting” (which, let’s be honest, is a pretty niche skill—but I’ll take it!).
Hive One
Spotted the queen easily. Placed the frame gently on top of the brood box. Sally tried to mark her… missed… and the queen disappeared down into the box, unmarked and unimpressed.
Hive Two
No queen. But we found something else: a laying worker.
When Workers Try to Be Queen
In queenless colonies, the absence of Queen Mandibular Pheromone can cause some workers to develop ovaries and start laying.
Sounds promising? It’s not.
Workers only lay unfertilised eggs, which become drones. A hive full of drones = no future.
Two Solutions:
Combine with a queenright colony using the newspaper method (risky - the laying workers might kill the new queen).
Shake them out: Take the hive 100m away, shake out the bees, and let the foragers return elsewhere. The younger laying workers get left behind.
Not pleasant - but it works. Thankfully, this colony was small.
WORLD BEE DAY - CREATING A BUZZ IN BOVINGDON
You know me… I always like to end on a high.
On May 20th - World Bee Day - I was invited to speak at Bovingdon School, where my grandchildren go. It was last-minute but what a morning!
The whole school wore black and yellow (except me… in blue and white… I didn’t get the memo!). Usually, I speak to one class at a time, but this time I had the whole of Key Stage Two, followed by a mini version for the younger ones.
It. Was. Brilliant.
The children were curious, engaged, and full of fantastic questions.
At one point, I said it felt like I was looking at and speaking to a real hive: buzzing, bright, and full of energy!
To top it off - I sold out of my Betsie Valentine and the Honeybees hardbacks!
They won’t be reprinted due to cost, but the softcover version is just as lovely and equally popular - and following a recent delivery of the fourth print run…now buzzing into homes across Beds, Bucks, Herts and beyond!
If you'd like to purchase a copy of Betsie Valentine and the Honeybees or Betsie Valentine and the Honourable Honeybee—or treat yourself to both—you can do so by clicking the link below.
WHAT’S NEXT?
June will (hopefully) bring:
Fewer swarms
More eggs
More opportunities to bee the change… (a call to action that emphasizes the importance of bees and pollinators for a healthy planet)
As usual I thank you for reading, hopefully sharing, and supporting our amazing honeybees.
Until next time,
Bee kind. Bee curious. Bee hopeful and don’t forget Bee the change!