Capped queen cells - what to do?

[whynothot]

Hi there. I am another new beekeeper. I use National hives and have just found capped queen cells in one of them.

The brood box is very full of bees, with brood on all the frames. There were at least two capped off queen cells hanging vertically on the sides of the frames. Don't think the bees have swarmed yet just because there were still so many bees. Couldn't see the existing queen, but she isn't marked and to be honest, I'm not sure I would notice her otherwise.

What can I do to stop the swarm, if anything? I guess they want to swarm as the brood box has got too full, but with the wet weather I havent been able to check them regularly. What should i have done to give them more room? Thanks

 

[oliver90owner]

There were at least two capped off queen cells hanging vertically on the sides of the frames.

Any uncapped?

If so were how many?

Would you recognise supercedure cells?

What can I do to stop the swarm, if anything?

Probably not a lot.

Do it artificially, if she has not already left.

Question is : Are they actually going to swarm? See above

What should i have done to give them more room?

Exactly that.

Fitted another brood box?

Make sure the existing brood is not containig frames of stores?

Remove some of the frames of brood?

Used a different brood box and frame size?

Choices were there.

 

[Midland Beek]

Well ... you should have read a bee book or get a chum to help you out.

 

[jackbee]

From what i understand capped usually means already swarmed, unless there is no queen in which case they're just waiting for a new queen.

If you can't see the queen can you see eggs or larva??

Of course they may still swarm when a new Q emerges, keep an eye on it.

 

[Heather]

Capped may mean they are about to swarm- the weather may hold them back- check for her- or eggs as said above.
Find the queen. Split the colony to have the queen in one hive and 1-2 queen cells in the other. Destroy any other queen cells. Put most of the brood -with all the bees on the frame gently into the other hive.
The queen should be on the original site and the queen cells on the new- then the flyers will go back to the queen and imitate a swarm- and all the house bees will be on the new site to tend the brood and new queen.
If the new queen fails in any way after a couple of weeks you can reunite.

 

[peteinwilts]

also put a QX under the original hive to stop hm absconding after the split.

once you have some brood, remove it again.

There are a number of reasons for QC's and is not necessarily due to lack of room. It is a good starting point though...

 

[susbees]

From what i understand capped usually means already swarmed, unless there is no queen in which case they're just waiting for a new queen.

If you can't see the queen can you see eggs or larva??

Of course they may still swarm when a new Q emerges, keep an eye on it.

Capped OFTEN means already swarmed...and just because there aren't eggs it does not mean she isn't there so worth a proper search (marked queens help).

If the weather is awful then sticking a QE under can hold things until you can do an AS. Last week I quickly knocked down cells and put a QE under the brood box as the deluge restarted and this week in a weather gap did a three nuc split with the three well-placed capped cells, knocking down three further open charged ones too vulnerable hanging off the bottom (surety as capped and for poor mating). Original queen (clipped and marked) in AS full box.