Advice on best plan...

[cwinte]

Been keeping just over a year.
No sign of larvae or eggs, queen never marked or clearly seen since original purchased queen was also lost around the time I split to 2 hives for a while in April but marked Q went missing. Hive 1 has been on deep+shallow brood since last Autumn and continued well, having >30Kg honey mid June, I harvested 3 frames... Was hard to judge progress and guess future needs due to weather, quite apart from my lack of experience.
Just last week or so been feeling things were slow rather than building up and the extra super I put on not needed now etc. Not much pollen coming in either...
Just had time to go through properly, since 1 Aug, having since then just had a quick eye to verroa (only 2 in 10 days, so very low) and general state of supers building up.
Have been away for a few long festival weekends, so maybe a swarm went off since last BIAS confirmation 1 Aug.

NOW: There are about 3 sides of capped brood but rather scattered over 3 frames. Areas that were brood are wet honey. The densest side of brood, about 90% cover, has 7 slightly small to my eye (around or just under 2cm) sealed Qcells vertically along the side of the comb. I assume this fits with a Q about to swarm or not in great shape... she has never laid brilliantly AFAIK.
So I am assuming they are supercedure cells and thinking to leave them to emerge and sort out the best of themselves, assuming they know best how to continue their colony.
They do not have masses of stores, down to 15Kg maybe and lots (? 4 or 5 normally around sniffing) of wasp attention though I do not think the wasps get inside much just now. Opening about 5cm.
I have reduced to just a brood box, QX and 2 supers (did not want to rejig all the frames yet, pending advice and hoping for some late season expansion...).

What you advise re queen? (buy/wait/other)
What do you anticipate being the trajectory from here through the winter?
(N Kent/London border)

Many thanks!

I have a nuc box so could split some stores and Qcells off into that to increase odds?? Or is the weakening of main colony against it?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Been keeping just over a year.
No sign of larvae or eggs, queen never marked or clearly seen since original purchased queen was also lost around the time I split to 2 hives for a while in April but marked Q went missing. Hive 1 has been on deep+shallow brood since last Autumn and continued well, having >30Kg honey mid June, I harvested 3 frames... Was hard to judge progress and guess future needs due to weather, quite apart from my lack of experience.
Just last week or so been feeling things were slow rather than building up and the extra super I put on not needed now etc. Not much pollen coming in either...
Just had time to go through properly, since 1 Aug, having since then just had a quick eye to verroa (only 2 in 10 days, so very low) and general state of supers building up.
Have been away for a few long festival weekends, so maybe a swarm went off since last BIAS confirmation 1 Aug.

NOW: There are about 3 sides of capped brood but rather scattered over 3 frames. Areas that were brood are wet honey. The densest side of brood, about 90% cover, has 7 slightly small to my eye (around or just under 2cm) sealed Qcells vertically along the side of the comb. I assume this fits with a Q about to swarm or not in great shape... she has never laid brilliantly AFAIK.
So I am assuming they are supercedure cells and thinking to leave them to emerge and sort out the best of themselves, assuming they know best how to continue their colony.
They do not have masses of stores, down to 15Kg maybe and lots (? 4 or 5 normally around sniffing) of wasp attention though I do not think the wasps get inside much just now. Opening about 5cm.
I have reduced to just a brood box, QX and 2 supers (did not want to rejig all the frames yet, pending advice and hoping for some late season expansion...).

What you advise re queen? (buy/wait/other)
What do you anticipate being the trajectory from here through the winter?
(N Kent/London border) need a bit more

Many thanks!

I have a nuc box so could split some stores and Qcells off into that to increase odds?? Or is the weakening of main colony against it?

Without seeing the cells it's hard to tell - but seven, and evidence of backfilling in the brood suggests swarmed, unless, as you say they are slightly small, queen has died and they are emergency cells.
We need a bit more info really.

 

[cwinte]

The cells are not extended out of normal cells (out and down), but full surface cells. I just had the feeling they were a bit smaller/shorter than others I had seen. I guess I can go back and measure. The 3 distinctly smaller ones I cut out were actually 20mm (just measured) so the 7 remaining must be a few mm bigger than that... But I'd guess they were under 25mm.
These cells are on old, dark comb.There was much newer comb a few frames away...

 

[Bakerbee]

A photo would help. It sounds like they swarmed to me but im a beginner too. Deciding on allowing the qc's to continue is a bit more complicated. If if if it was a swarm you would want to knock down all but one or two of the best looking cells and watch closely and allow 1 to emerge. This way you protect the hive and yourself from cast swarms which will dwindle your bee population further. If it was supercedure do you want to keep that queens traits genetically? Are you happy with laying, temperament, productivity and swarm tendency? If youre not youre probably best to requeen.

 

[cwinte]

Thanks. I'm not sure about the Q traits: good temper and productive for a while maybe marred by an odd super dry summer; swarm tendency unknown (except that there may have been a swarm here) - the marked queen I had to start with last year had an abortive re-absorbed swarm where she somehow went missing (or had been killed).

By requeen you mean beg or buy new a new queen, I guess. At this time of year does that need to be mated as it is too late for good mating prospects?

 

[Bakerbee]

I meant buying a mated queen. This way you may choose what type of bees you want. Ive gone for buckfasts that were bred in devon by hivemaker on here. They are the calmest gentlist bees which suited me keeping them at the bottom of my garden. Buckies have other good traits also invluding good build up, not too swarmy ect. I also have one hive of AMM but i have only just intoduced a new queen 3 weeks ago so havent experienced their traots personally so can only go on what ive read. The reason i would go with buying a mated queen is selection of traits rather than allowing mine to do their own thing and mate with any local drone which then muddys their traits. Many will comment on here the virtue of local bees and im not knocking it just keeping it simple for myself as a new beek. Im sure alot of people on here will be able to advise you with far more expertise. Just thought id add my thoughts as ive realized getting stuck in and making decisions is the best way forward, now navigating opinions of polar opposites is a bit trickier. Good luck.