How can I tell if this is supercedure?

[beekake]

Back in early May, I housed a prime swarm from one of my hives in a 6 frame nuc box (all foundation). All frames were drawn within a week, but I must have been clumsy and nipped the queen, because at the next inspection, around the middle of May, there were no eggs and a few sealed queen cells, which I reduced to the single largest.

So, I left the nuc alone, only checking to see if the bees were still coming and going from the entrance, and then last week (about one month since I last checked), I moved them into a brood box. As I moved the frames (all 6 fully drawn, with plenty of stores, but also 4 frames of eggs & brood), I noticed that there was a sealed queen cell and a couple of others being drawn. I took all these down, thinking that maybe this was a portent of swarming due to lack of space, and that moving them to a full sized brood box would settle them down. I put drawn frames in to fill the remaining space.

Today, I checked again (8d on), and found 4 or 5 frames of brood with plenty of fresh eggs, plenty of stores, but again, a sealed queen cell (on the face of a frame), with another being drawn next to it. There was also another charged cell on the opposite side of that one frame.

These bees come from a slightly swarmy line (I intend to requeen next year), but in my previous observations on the parent hive, the bees had always swarmed before I came across a sealed cell. Having seen a sealed cell two weeks in succession, but also having observed a good coverage of fresh eggs two weeks in succession, I'm wondering if this isn't supercedure. So, my questions are:

1. Do my observations point to supercedure in your opinion? and;
2. What should I do if I find a similar situation when I go into the hive next week (9d from now is the plan)?

Thanks!

Beekake

 

[tonybloke]

go and find queen, clip her wings, knock down queen cells to leave just one, job done.

 

[Poly Hive]

Preferably an open one so you are sure it is viable.

PH

 

[beekake]

OK, so you're suggesting I clip my current queen to stop her escaping with a possible swarm, but also that I leave a queen cell so that the bees can supercede? Did I interpret your answers correctly?

Thanks.

 

[picton farm]

I would agree with Tony. They will sort themselves out if she is clipped.

 

[tonybloke]

OK, so you're suggesting I clip my current queen to stop her escaping with a possible swarm, but also that I leave a queen cell so that the bees can supercede? Did I interpret your answers correctly?

Thanks.

yes!!

 

[oliver90owner]

Just be aware that they might cluster around the queen on the ground, if she were to go.

Completely lost in longer grass is a good outcome if she were to go, but although that is the most common outcome, a cluster forming around the queen cannot be ruled out - but they shouldn't be going any further.

 

[clv101]

Is the idea with the clipped queen that she'll find her way back into the hive, or that she'll die and the bees will return to the hive? Or is it up to the beek to find the clipped queen in the long grass?

 

[oliver90owner]

Is the idea with the clipped queen that she'll find her way back into the hive,

Read post #2? What was the queen cell being left for?

Or is it up to the beek to find the clipped queen in the long grass?

I can think of a better way, if I didn't want to lose her (not as post #2!!)

 

[BeeNice]

If you have a sealed Queen cells, the bees would have swarmed (twice), if your prime swarm that you got still has the old queen she may be going past her best, still laying but needing to be replaced. Talking about clipped queens goes off the main point that you don't want to lose your bees. Why don't you do a split with the queen cells in one and the old queen in another. Once the new queens have mated and sorted themselves out you can reunite the bees together getting rid of the old queen. You may find the new queen is a little less 'swarmy'. On second thoughts if your bees had swarmed the old queen would have gone, if they hadn't swarmed the old queen will still be there, was she marked?
Steven

 

[Moggs]

Due to busy times at the main apiary, I had missed a QC in a hive at the secondary allotment site. I hadn't expected this particular hive to go swarmy. On Saturday, even before the smoker was alight, I was astounded to see a cloud of bees out on a mission. Spectacular stuff!

Anyway - on the subject of clipped queens: on this occasion, many a thousand confused bees rolled back and forth until their consensus was that they were queenless. They returned to the hive within minutes of the outset.

I'm convinced of the benefit of clipping. I immediately found the clipped queen bimbling about, literally, on the doorstep. One artificial swarm later and all was swiftly contained.

QED