Queen cells panic

[kronkie]

Please bear in mind that this is my first full season & my mentor is away this week!
Yesterday I inspected one of my colonies & found about 12 queen cells, in the middle of the frames.
I panicked & tore down most of the queen cells & found that most had larvae in them - obviously, they were sealed.
I must admit that, in my panic, I never looked for the queen or eggs - but there was plenty of stores, brood & adult bees.
I presume that the queen cell building is due to overcrowding & yesterday evening I rushed back out & put a super on top.
Will adding this super persuade them not to swarm, or is it in their minds now so that they will swarm anyway?
If the latter is the case, I plan to do a shook swarm this afternoon - what do you think?
Thanks in anticipation!

 

[For want of a better word]

were there a lot of bees.... I mean crowded
Q cells on center of frame are ? supercedure cells... so either colony has decided to have a new Q or old Q is gone/dead

Swarm cells are usually on bottom of frames
BUT I an no expert and ask a dozen beeks the same question and you will get thirteen different answers

where is that spell checker.... I could do with some beekeeping spells!

shook swarm with a QE may be a way forward... at least if there is a queen she will be trapped in the new BB on the bottom as the rest move up to the old BB!

 

[oliver90owner]

She has probably gone already. If it was several days ago they could now be hopelessly queenless if the odd cells you didn't tear down are duds. Doubt it, but could be.

Too late to add a super now as she is likely gone (unless the weather has been particularly poor).

It is unlikely to stop the swarming instinct, anyway. wit beekeeping you need to keep just a little ahead of the bees as far as reading their intentions.

I think you should do the basics first. Check for eggs, then for the queen (if there are eggs) and not do a shook swarm.

Oh, and check your other colony, too.

RAB

 

[For want of a better word]

Tractor man is right................ probably gone check for eggs... shook swarm would be pointless if eggs there, and if so queen is also.................

I seem to bee in same position with the bees I collected from far far away the other week!

Question?....... how long will they last if queenless and WHERE can a new queen bee bee obtained quickly

Queen needed!!!!!

 

[The Riviera Kid]

Last year I took out some queen cells in a similar panic and, unfortunately, the new queen that emerged from the single queen cell I left behind cell was not very fertile and I had to replace her. It is a danger with just leaving one queen cell. Of course if you leave more than one then you risk a cast (secondary swarm).



If there are eggs that are 3 days old or less the colony might try and raise an emergency queen but it is probable that she won't be as good as a "proper! queen.

If in the next days there is no sign of a new emergency queen cup and the bees start to get very annoyed about things then there is a good chance that the queen is dead/gone and there is nothing suitable to replace her.

You said that you have more than one colony.

The other thing you can do is take a frame of young eggs (less than 3 days old) from another hive with a queen in, remove ALL the bees from it, and put it in your troubled hive. if the bees start making queen cups then you know that your queen is gone and her royal daughters are all dead too.

Good luck!

 

[kronkie]

I thought when superceding that there would only be 1 cell made, I have to admit when I saw the first 1 i assumed it was a supercedure ceel but when alll the others were found my thoughts went into swarm cells.
So, as I have left about 4 cells intact sould I tear down all but 1 or leave them to get on with it?
If when I go back thisafternoon and find eggs and the queen what then?

 

[oliver90owner]

If when I go back thisafternoon and find eggs and the queen what then?

You will count yourself as very (no - extremely) lucky and do an A/S, of course.

RAB

 

[kronkie]

Thanks each, on my way out now, will let you know the outcome,by the way , my other hive is brilliant, I put a super on that last week and will probally have to put another super on monday. think I should have done the same to the problem hive, I WILL learn.

 

[Winker]

Thanks each, on my way out now, will let you know the outcome,by the way , my other hive is brilliant, I put a super on that last week and will probally have to put another super on monday. think I should have done the same to the problem hive, I WILL learn.

That was nearly 2 hours ago now! How did you get on?

 

[kazmcc]

We have just done an AS on our colony. We found over 10 queen cups, with eggs in, and there was a mix of being on the middle of frames and the bottom of frames. We removed 3 packed frames, but there is still a heck of a lot of bees and brood in there. My word, Madge has been busy

 

[pandtpoultry]

Hi, when I looked at some of my frames I thought I had queen cells but they were infact drone cells in the middle of a frame, is it possible you have these? I do not know your hive but I have about 12 larger cells in about 4 different frames but when I watch youtube and ask around they are drone and not queen, is this possibly what you have?

 

[kronkie]

Right ,I am back, No queen ,no eggs, I knew I should have put that super on last week.
Probally wrong again but I took a nuc box out with me and put 2 frames of brood with 2 supercedure cells and 2 of stores. The nuc is 1 of those poly things that has a slot for syrup so I put a 1 to 1 solution in there as well.
Again thanks for everyones advice and lets hope alls well that ends well.
I will learn.

 

[For want of a better word]

View attachment 3739

supercedure cells

plus a load of drone cells and around edges worker cells

somebody correct me if wrong!

and that is not my ikea bee suit, it is my grans best tablecloth!!

 

[The Riviera Kid]

We have just done an AS on our colony. We found over 10 queen cups, with eggs in, and there was a mix of being on the middle of frames and the bottom of frames. We removed 3 packed frames, but there is still a heck of a lot of bees and brood in there. My word, Madge has been busy

It sounds like that quite a few colonies are "ahead" of mine this year... been keeping a really close eye on mine and they are showing no signs of queen cups yet!!

 

[oliver90owner]

The Riviera Kid,

It sounds like that quite a few colonies are "ahead" of mine

Yes, I noted your recent description of one of yours being a 'powerful' colony did not seem to be a too accurate description, but did not comment at the time. I think you may need to moderate your choice of adjectives a little. New beeks have little with which to make comparisons, and are often over-enthusiastic with descriptions. Their first year colonies were likely not that strong.

A standard deep brood box full of bees is not particularly in that league. One of my colonies now has at least nine or ten frames of brood - and those are 14 x 12 frames BTW. I put six frames with brood behind a Q/E and left at least five with brood/eggs in front, so as to reduce the work finding the queen, so I can split the colony more easily tomorrow.

It also 'donated' two frames with emerging brood, earlier in the season, to reinforce another couple of stocks.

That is what I might term as 'powerful'

Regards, RAB

 

[milkermel]

Right ,I am back, No queen ,no eggs, I knew I should have put that super on last week.
Probally wrong again but I took a nuc box out with me and put 2 frames of brood with 2 supercedure cells and 2 of stores. The nuc is 1 of those poly things that has a slot for syrup so I put a 1 to 1 solution in there as well.
Again thanks for everyones advice and lets hope alls well that ends well.
I will learn.

Excuse me if I am wrong, but why? Keep it simple, you are fortunate enough to have a second colony to take a frame of brood from so . . . you asked peoples advice and then did something differant. Test frame is what I was told last year when I had similar problem, however I only had one hive. so after removing most of the cells and leaving only a few that looked best I ended up with 2 swarms (well presume I lost first lot when Q cells were sealed) but managed to at least keep some.

I think an important thing to all new beeks - and yes I include myself in this is DONT PANIC! the queens cells are going nowhere so check through rest of hive giving you time to get your thoughts together. If you dont know and cant get mentor on the phone, close hive and get typing! Thats what i did and within 1hr I had help and advice - which i then followed.

 

[Dishmop]

We have just done an AS on our colony. We found over 10 queen cups, with eggs in, and there was a mix of being on the middle of frames and the bottom of frames. We removed 3 packed frames, but there is still a heck of a lot of bees and brood in there. My word, Madge has been busy

Honey for Mummy this year then Kaz...

 

[kazmcc]

Honey for Mummy this year then Kaz...

I hope so! If i don't lose them all that is lol. It's up to me now to keep an eye on them and try and stop any more qc they make. Poor bees lol.

 

[For want of a better word]

know and cant get mentor on the phone, close hive and get typing! Thats what i did and within 1hr I had help and advice - which i then followed.


AND THAT IS WHAT MAKES THIS FORUM TICK !!!!

 

[kronkie]

Milkermel, you are right ,I should not have paniced, but I did.
The 2 reason I didnt take on all the advice that I was given on here was firstly ( as everyone knows) 10 differant beeks ,10 differant ideas, and sceondly, and more inportantly, 1 of my association mentors phoned me and suggested the method I took.
Again, thanks for all the advice andI will defo not panic again.