Things Get More Interesting

Fans of the Dark Queen have asked where she went, and what has become of her now that there's a pretty, plump golden queen in the hive.  My first answer was fairly vague.  But tonight when looking to get better pictures of the new golden queen, instead I found my old friend!  She was busily going about her business, with a full court.

 Meanwhile, on the other side of the hive, the new golden queen put in a brief appearance before scooting out of the bright light.  So for the moment, there are 2 queens in one small observation hive.  The pictures don't do justice to how distinct the ladies are.  The old queen is quite dark, with light stripes down the side of her abdomen.   The new one is strikingly golden, without dark bands.  And yes, we did see both of them at the exact  same moment.

Better pictures of the golden queen with her court (next morning.)