Loaded queen cells found

[Rooster007]

Just inspected my hives tonight to check on store and admit I hadn't been through the brood for a few weeks.
3 of 4 hives all looking good for stores and getting set for winter and the ivy flow (room to add more stores).

I got a bit of a surprise on the last hive though and I thought it wasn't quite as strong with brood but plenty of stores and full frames of honey on the outer frames.

On 2 of the inner frames however there was one loaded queen cell near the edge and a large cup on another frame.

I saw the the queen and she is in her second year now.

I've not done anything with the cells yet as looking for advice.

Should I leave in case its a supercedure or unite with one of my other colonies who has one of this years queens?

If I leave it and it is a supercedure cell, would I just end up with a drone laying queen as she probably won't get mated now I think or would she go until next spring.

Didn't expect this later on in the year and its new to me so looking for inspiration.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Two choices in my view, one or both dependant on the old queen still being viable Three if you can still source a mated queen.

Hope for a 'perfect supersedure', if the new Q mates successfully, the bees will sort it out, if the new queen is a dud, they will get rid and try again in the spring.
Tear down the QC's hope the queen has enough juice to last until next year so they'll supersede then.
Requeen and be done with.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Two choices in my view, one or both dependant on the old queen still being viable Three if you can still source a mated queen.

Hope for a 'perfect supersedure', if the new Q mates successfully, the bees will sort it out, if the new queen is a dud, they will get rid andl try again in the spring.
Tear down the QC's hope the queen has enough juice to last until next year so they'll supersede then.
Requeen and be done with.

with the last sentence

 

[Rooster007]

Thanks both.
Guess I know my jobs for tomorrow now. I was thinking about tearing them down but thought I'd best check first.

 

[Ian123]

I would let them get on with it unless you have spare queens, why do you need to do anything chance they will run the 2 queens together anyway

 

[Bee Boys]

Hello about two mounth ago I had to replace a queen
I bought a queen from BS Honeybees and it is amasing.
It started laying and now the hive has gumped from no brood to 7 frames with almost the entire frame coverd with brood.
It is also incredably calm.
It was one of the cheepest queens
I have found.

 

[Cuckmere couple]

i had this last year

tore them down

q failed in early spring and i re-queened then

now, i would just leave them to hopefully coexist

 

[beeno]

with the last sentence

I agree with you. Too late to get mated saw one drone in four colonies yday. Chances are she is going to be a drone layer shortly.

 

[drex]

Let me be devil's advocate. Why do we think we know better than the bees? If this is supercedure , which it certainly sounds like, the bees are not happy with their current queen and want to replace her. They have chosen to do it now. They obviously think there is a good chance of success. Why should I thwart their attempts?
If it was me I would meet them half way and would give them a new queen now, as I always have spares in nucs. If I did not I would let them get on with it.
I always try to work with my bees, not against them.

 

[Newbeeneil]

I've often found that supercedure at this time of year will often result in two queens over the winter to ensure they have a viable source of eggs in the spring.

 

[Walrus]

Let me be devil's advocate. Why do we think we know better than the bees? If this is supercedure , which it certainly sounds like, the bees are not happy with their current queen and want to replace her. They have chosen to do it now. They obviously think there is a good chance of success. Why should I thwart their attempts?

It sounds logical, but in nature things can and do go wrong. If the queen has started to run out of sperm now they have no choice, but it doesn't make it ideal. We have a chance to reduce the risks by simply giving them a nice mated queen.

If it was me I would meet them half way and would give them a new queen now, as I always have spares in nucs.
I always try to work with my bees, not against them.

That's what I'd do too. They want a new queen - by giving them a mated queen we are working with them and speeding things up, reducing risks.

 

[beeno]

It sounds logical, but in nature things can and do go wrong. If the queen has started to run out of sperm now they have no choice, but it doesn't make it ideal. We have a chance to reduce the risks by simply giving them a nice mated queen.



That's what I'd do too. They want a new queen - by giving them a mated queen we are working with them and speeding things up, reducing risks.

Exactly! Uniting is another option, but with only one other hive that's a tough choice.

 

[Rooster007]

I knocked back the QC's at the weekend (1 loaded, 1 cup) and let the old queen to get on with it, she was still laying and there was some brood around.

I don't have the luxury of spare queens or access to a mated queen from anywhere and didn't see any drones or drone cells on my last inspection.

I do have 3 other hive I could unite with and as the weather is OK this week I'll look in at the weekend to see if they have been making QC's again.

If they have then I will try uniting and see if that works.

Picking the hive to unite with will be the next decision.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I knocked back the QC's at the weekend (1 loaded, 1 cup) and let the old queen to get on with it, she was still laying and there was some brood around.

I don't have the luxury of spare queens or access to a mated queen from anywhere .

Buy one?
They are still available