Possible big mistake

[Wills666]

Hi all I've been a member on here a while but this is my first post, I've got two 14 x12 hive, this will be my first full year beekeeping started late last year with one hive that supersed then went queenless so not a great start, so requeened and over wintered, my possible big mistake is it was doing an inspection yesterday open up first hive and found 3 supersedure cell panicked and cut them all off, they all had larvae in them also there was a few small acorn cups nothing in them, there are lots of eggs and larvae at different stages, but couldn't find the queen, have I done the wrong thing cutting the cells out, I'm waiting for a delivery of brood frames so have got a full size hive to put a swarm in if they do, could I do artificial swarm with a nuc box if it came to that. Any advice would be a great help thanks.

 

[MikeWade]

If there are eggs there it will be fine. If there is no Q the bees will make more Qcs from them.

If ever you see Qcs then first thing to do is confirm if there are fresh eggs also if there are no eggs then don't destroy all the Qcs. leave one.

At the start of your beekeeping journey it can feel a bit of a panic when you see QCs, I know it did for me. A tip that worked for me in the early years was if I found Qcs I just put a mark on the frame and continued with the inspection, closing up the hive at the end. Then go have a cuppa and think about what you've seen and plan what action to take. Then go back and deal with it. Doing that for me removed that sense of panic and reduced the chance of me making a mistake.

 

[Erichalfbee]

And if you need to AS you can certainly use your nuc box. Take the queen on the frame she’s on ( no queen cell though) add a frame of capped brood, a frame of food a drawn frame and two frames of foundation. Shake in a couple of frames of bees either from the brood ( don’t shake any queen cell you’re keeping) or brush from half a super and move a few feet away....

 

[enrico]

First don't panic
You have eggs so whatever you have done can be repaired. You don't have to find the queen.if you have eggs you know she was their in the last three days
Ignore acorn cups they mean nothing.
Do you have a nuc box? If they make more queen cells and you happen to see the queen then pop her in the nuc box with a frame of brood and one of food and fill the rest with empty frames. Shake a few bees in as well as the ones on the frame and let them get on building the nuc up. Meanwhile in the main hive cut all but one queen cell out and then check in five days to make sure they have not built more. Leave the one you left in there to mature. If the worst happens you still have your queen in the nuc.
Read my blog on this site. It may give you a little confidence!
I am in Somerset too but a little far away to offer help.
E

 

[drex]

As already said, do not destroy and cells until you have investigated the whole brood nest. What you then see will tell you the best course of action.
If in doubt Wally Shaw's pamphlet " there are queen cells in my hive" is a great help

 

[Erichalfbee]

Link to There are Queen Cells in my Hive

http://www.wbka.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/There-Are-Queen-Cells-In-My-Hive-WBKA-WAG.pdf

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

found 3 supersedure cell panicked and cut them all off.......

The mistake you made was assuming they were supersedure cells - a queen cell is a queen cell, wherever on the frame you find it.
If I find more than one cell I always finish the inspection before doing anything. If I find the queen I would also pop her (on the frame she was found on) into an empty lidless nuc until I decide what to do then if I decide they are preparing to swarm, it's only a matter of adding a frame of stores, a drawn frame (or one with the bees emerging) a good shake of bees and some foundtion and you have conducted a queen away A/S.
Or if I think or suspect it is supersedure I can do a belt and braces job by making up a nuc with again a frame of stores, plenty of brood and drawn comb and plenty of bees, leaving the main hive to raise a queen from the QC. If it is supersedure, they will try again in a short while and you can let them carry on.

 

[Wills666]

Thanks for all your advice, next time I will take a minute to think before doing anything rashly.

 

[pargyle]

Thanks for all your advice, next time I will take a minute to think before doing anything rashly.

Patience and Caution ... So important in beekeeping. I try never to do anything to do with the bees in haste - sometimes easier said than done !