Considering all my options - advice please.

[Juststarting]

I think my hive wants to supercede queen, but I am not sure how to manage it whilst this is happening.

Background:

Hive was a nuc bought last year (2009 buckfast type unmarked queen) and successfully over wintered in single national BB (poly).

1/4 Second BB, drawn comb added in prep for splitting hive into 3 (2 nucs) for increase with queen introductions.

6/4 Brood in 8/10 frames in first BB

19/4 Brood 8/10 frames lower BB and 4 frames with some eggs/larva in upper BB

21/4 10 frames removed from hive to make 2 nucs each comprising 2 frames sealed/emerging brood, 1 frame stores, 1 frame store/sealed brood and 1 drawn comb + 2 frames worth of bees shaken in.

Donor hive consolidated to single BB.

23/4 second BB (foundation) added to main hive.

27/4 Lower BB 9 frames BIAS and 1 store /pollen, upper BB fully drawn.Super added (drawn comb) above QE.

2/5 Super 2/3 frames with some nectar in. Upper BB 6 frames eggs and larva. Lower BB 9 frame sealed brood, larva and eggs AND 1 single Queen cell with larva in the centre of a frame. Queen still present - seen today!


So presume superceding rather than swarming.

What should I do now -
Option 1 leave alone and allow to supercede - happy to do this but do I still need to check regularly for more swarm cell being produced - dont want to disturb virgin queen. Are they likely to try to swarm?

Option 2 AS - would rather not as I hoped to have one hive in production this year. If I thought they were producing swarm cells would have used demarree method but if superceding then this wouldnt raise new queen.

Option 3 Remove frame with QC and put in dummied out hive (run out of nucs at moment). Let nuc raise queen and then reunite when laying with main hive having removed old queen. Or use in another nuc if bought in queen intro unsuccessful.

could get together enough hive parts to do this but will the main hive still produce more QCs and/or swarm.

Option 4 - open to other/better suggestions.


My plan was to end up with three hives at end of year - 2 with new (bought in) queens and third with original queen/new superceded queen. So bees seem to be following plan but are further ahead of schedule than I anticipated
and I don't want to mess up by losing swarm or peventing natural supercedure.

Thanks in advance for your patience and advice.

 

[susbees]

I had one like that a couple of weeks ago...second outer frame, central open cell. Only one. No other sign of QCs etc.

Next week...checked four days later it was capped with open swarm cells elsewhere.

I don't know is the answer.

Some seem adamant you don't get supercedure as brood is building up....it's a late summer autumn thing i.e. that defective queens will be "persuaded" to swarm rather than keep house with their daughter for a while.

Again, I don't know....

 

[TOBY-3652]

We need some answers im in the very same situation with one of my hives one queen cell on bottom of frame. I must say this hive was bought as a nuc at the beginning of march 2010 queen he said??? Shese laying but not as expected. Maybe mine is superceding???

 

[Juststarting]

Sorry - another question can you Demaree using foundation rather than drawn comb in bottom bow with queen?

 

[Poly Hive]

I would watch your supercedure situation if such it is.

Further you can "milk" the situation by removing sealed cells if you want to make more nucs.

PH

 

[Juststarting]

Quick update

Removed frame with QC and larva on into a nuc with further frame of sealed brood, another of stores and shock in another frames worth of nurse bees having checked for queen which I couldnt find so assuming still in main hive.

Will check nuc in a few days in case she got in there by accident and that there are sufficient bees if too many are fliers and return to main hive. Then I'll leave for them to raise Qc into new queen.

The main hive I will demaree in a day or two as soon as I have another BB (being sorted at the moment).

Should I do anything else or anything different?