First Queen Cup Surprise & Finding the Queen (1-Month Update)

Welcome back to another Bee Wednesday! It is officially hard to believe, but as of yesterday, I have been a beekeeper for an entire month. Time flies when you’re having fun—and when your backyard is filled with thousands of busy, buzzing bees.

For week four, I wanted to take you along for a full hive inspection to check on our colony’s progress. From perfect smoker fuels to literal breakthroughs in the brood box, this week brought some amazing milestones and one unexpected surprise.

My Secret to a Long-Burning Smoker

Before opening up the hive, you have to get the smoker ready. I’ve experimented with wood chips and starter pellets alone, but I finally found the perfect combination that burns the cleanest and longest: pine needles paired with a single starter pellet.

I gather dry pine needles from around the property, stuff them into the smoker with the pellet, light it up, and give it a few quick puffs. It keeps a steady, cool smoke going for the entire inspection without constantly dying out.

A Hive Full of Sweet Success

When I pulled off the top, the sheer volume of bees on the super was incredible compared to last week. They have been busy cleaning everything up and building out beautifully.

As I pulled the frames, I was greeted by glistening walls of fresh nectar and patches of beautifully capped honey. Remember, at this stage, this honey belongs entirely to the bees—it’s their vital food supply to keep the colony strong, not ours to harvest just yet!

Live Births: Welcoming New Drone Bees

The absolute highlight of this week’s inspection happened right in the brood box. While looking at a frame covered in capped worker brood, I noticed a few larger, raised, “puffed-up” cells. These are drone cells—the male bees who don’t have stingers.

Right before my eyes, I caught a baby drone bee chewing its way out of its capped cell and entering the world for the very first time! Seconds later, I spotted a second drone being born right next to it. Getting to witness new life being born inside the hive is a magic that never gets old.

The First Queen Cup Surprise

While inspecting the lower frames, I caught sight of something every beekeeper watches out for: a queen cup.

A queen cup is a downward-facing, peanut-shaped cell that the workers build when they are preparing to raise a new queen (often a sign of swarming preparation or supersedure). Since the hive is still so new and growing perfectly, I went ahead and removed the cup to keep the colony focused on their current space.

Spotting the Queen

A hive inspection is never quite complete without making sure the matriarch is safe and sound. These frames are getting heavy with honey and brood, making it a bit of a hide-and-seek game among thousands of rushing workers. But right toward the end of the check, there she was! Our queen is looking active, healthy, and doing a fantastic job laying the next generation of bees.

Overall, it was an incredibly successful one-month checkup. The colony is strong, healthy, and expanding perfectly.

Want to watch the baby drones being born or see exactly where the queen was hiding? Check out the full video over on YouTube: Bee Wednesday Ep. 5: First Queen Cup Surprise!

Happy Bee Keeping!!