Destroying supercedure cells yay or nay?

[gregior]

I have 4 frame nuc with a newly mated queen that started laying about 3 weeks ago. The queen is nice and big and is laying beautifully with a lovely brood pattern. I had a quick look inside yesterday and they had built 2 supercedure cells that were nearly capped. They had started building them about a week ago which is when I marked the queen so I thaught possibly the marking procedure had caused them to build the cells. Anyway I destroyed them both thinking if they try again i'll let them get on with it, but I am wondering what the rest of you would do in this situation?

 

[GuyNir]

With a newly mated Q and nice brood pattern, I would do the same.

 

[Finman]

Something wrong in the queen's pheronome production, if bees want to change the queen. I woud bye a new good laying queen

 

[drex]

As Finman says the bees know best. They have thrown up the cells for a reason. I would have taken the queen (or cells) into another nucs and see what happens. From your profile you have enough resources to make up another nuc

 

[pargyle]

I have 4 frame nuc with a newly mated queen that started laying about 3 weeks ago. The queen is nice and big and is laying beautifully with a lovely brood pattern. I had a quick look inside yesterday and they had built 2 supercedure cells that were nearly capped. They had started building them about a week ago which is when I marked the queen so I thaught possibly the marking procedure had caused them to build the cells. Anyway I destroyed them both thinking if they try again i'll let them get on with it, but I am wondering what the rest of you would do in this situation?

4 frame nuc .... queen laying lots of brood ? What makes you think they were supercedure cells ... with the amount of forage about at present and the predicted weather reasonably stable my bet would have been that they were swarm cells not supercedure - not unheard of for nucs to swarm - particularly if the space was constricticted. I'd have been tempted to leave the cells in the nuc with a frame of stores and a frame of bees dummied down and move the queen and the rest into another nuc with some drawn comb or foundation and see what happens. In view of the fact that you've knocked the cells down I would keep a close eye as they may build a lot more very quickly ... and seriously think about giving them space (a dummied down hive perhaps or a bigger nuc..

 

[GuyNir]

As Finman says the bees know best. They have thrown up the cells for a reason.

Mmm… not always the case IMO. They sometimes take risks and hedge their bets.

 

[Earthboy]

Nay, for me. Methinks bees know what they need to do better than I do.

 

[Nannysbees]

We did, we bought a new queen (£45) as they had been trying to get rid of the queen since last year so we decided to despatch the old queen (1 Yr old!!!!), who I was a beautiful laying queen and add a new one. Little tinkers build two new queen cells in the interim, we thought they moved quickly between despatch and requeening so we cut them out.

 

[Finman]

4 frame nuc, it is not a big thing, what ever it happens to it.
But in my experience, if bees want to change their queen, they will do it sooner or later. Later you will have a drone layer. Perhaps they do not understand in darkness the value of laying patern.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

. I had a quick look inside yesterday and they had built 2 supercedure cells that were nearly capped.

What makes you certain they were supersedure cells?

 

[gregior]

What makes you certain they were supersedure cells?

Well it's only a small 3 frame nuc with lots of laying space and there were only 2 cells in the centre of one of the frames.

 

[Finman]

Mmm… not always the case IMO. They sometimes take risks and hedge their bets.

What does it mean. Not always but mostly yes. Do you handle your bees according propability or according exceptions.

 

[GuyNir]

What does it mean. Not always but mostly yes. Do you handle your bees according propability or according exceptions.

It means that I don’t think the bees ALWAYS know best. Surely, if the OP removed the two cells he suspected as supersedure, no more cells are created and the Q heads a thriving colony - the bees (this time) didn’t know best.
Of course the bees crated those two cells for a reason, but is it good for the colony longer term? Maybe yes, maybe no.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

And perhaps possibly

 

[Finman]

It means that I don’t think the bees ALWAYS know best.

When you have nursed bees, you have propably seen, that there is no such rule in beekeeping like always.

 

[ForageFlight]

I have 4 frame nuc with a newly mated queen that started laying about 3 weeks ago. The queen is nice and big and is laying beautifully with a lovely brood pattern. I had a quick look inside yesterday and they had built 2 supercedure cells that were nearly capped. They had started building them about a week ago which is when I marked the queen so I thaught possibly the marking procedure had caused them to build the cells. Anyway I destroyed them both thinking if they try again i'll let them get on with it, but I am wondering what the rest of you would do in this situation?

This has become very prevalent these days. You may find that when her own progeny takes over the nucleus hive they will be more in sync with her and the problem will disappear. If it doesn't happen go ahead with supercedure. Could be something wrong with the queen. I have had this problem myself.

 

[RosieMc]

I have 4 frame nuc with a newly mated queen that started laying about 3 weeks ago. The queen is nice and big and is laying beautifully with a lovely brood pattern. I had a quick look inside yesterday and they had built 2 supercedure cells that were nearly capped. They had started building them about a week ago which is when I marked the queen so I thaught possibly the marking procedure had caused them to build the cells. Anyway I destroyed them both thinking if they try again i'll let them get on with it, but I am wondering what the rest of you would do in this situation?

 

[RosieMc]

Are they getting crowded? Perhaps move to a full hive instead of a nuc

 

[gregior]

Are they getting crowded? Perhaps move to a full hive instead of a nuc

Nah they have plenty of room.

 

[simonwig]

I've got a similar situation, 6 frame nuc with good laying queen, today a single charged, nearly capped, Queen cell. Plenty of space to lay, I've been stealing brood to boost other hives, and a super also with space. Queen is less than one year old. I left the QC, let's see what happens! I'm assuming supercedure.
Simon