Have I failed before I've begun?

[HoopersHouse]

Hi everyone

I wonder if I could ask the kind people here for a little advice?

I purchased my beehive & nuc of buckfast bees in August last year. I've managed to keep the hive alive throughout the winter by feeding fondant & I've now swapped to a 1 to 1 liquid sugar feed.

I made an inspection to the hive yesterday & found what I think is a capped queen cell. The original queen is still in the hive. I found eggs and larvae and what seemed like a lot of drone cells.

I'm now concerned that my bees are about to swarm & that I've basically failed before I've got going.

I'm not sure if I should leave well alone in hope that the bees will sort things out as I thought it was unlikely that I would suffer a swarm with a young queen?

Should I purchase another hive and move the current queen into that with some of the brood?

Should I remove the queen cell?

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Thank you

 

[Stiffy]

Looks like a 'play cup' to me and nothing to worry about. I would stop any feeding as they should now be able to grow on their own
S

 

[wightbees]

Hi everyone

I wonder if I could ask the kind people here for a little advice?

I purchased my beehive & nuc of buckfast bees in August last year. I've managed to keep the hive alive throughout the winter by feeding fondant & I've now swapped to a 1 to 1 liquid sugar feed.

I made an inspection to the hive yesterday & found what I think is a capped queen cell. The original queen is still in the hive. I found eggs and larvae and what seemed like a lot of drone cells.

I'm now concerned that my bees are about to swarm & that I've basically failed before I've got going.

I'm not sure if I should leave well alone in hope that the bees will sort things out as I thought it was unlikely that I would suffer a swarm with a young queen?

Should I purchase another hive and move the current queen into that with some of the brood?

Should I remove the queen cell?

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Thank you

Don't remove Queen cell.
Others be along soon to help

 

[For want of a better word]

Could it be a supercedure cell... bees unhappy with the queen and possible over reactive Latin temperament.... possibly over stimulated with feed?
Let them alone and see what happens.

Yeghes da

 

[Erichalfbee]

I agree with hoppit
Leave them alone.
How many frames of stores are there?

 

[Millet]

To add to the above comments a spare hive or two never comes in wrong, my motto on a small scale 3/5 hive which i aim for is have a spare hive or Nuc for every active colony.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Keeping a spare queen or two in nucs over winter is a very good move. I try to do that but it doesn't always work. This year those two spare queens are actually in full size colonies

 

[HoopersHouse]

Thank you for all your quick responses and advice.

Sounds like I'm being a little impatient and overcautious.

I'll stop feeding and leave them to do their thing. I'm hoping to add to the hives soon. I realise now that if I'd had 2 hives, I could have compared them.

Thanks again for your help.

 

[enrico]

Make sure there are plenty of empty cells for the queen to lay in and that they are not all full of the syrup you have been feeding. If you feed syrup the bees think there is a flow on, if they already have loads of stores and room is getting tight they may well be thinking of swarming. Just a thought! But...... Other than room I too would let them get in with things at the moment. Are you prepared for a swarm, I.e. do you have kit ready should the worst happen?
E