queen cells - what to do with them

[honeypot]

Hi, I am very very new to beekeeping. I have had my hive for 3 weeks. On my last 2 inspections I took out some empty queen cells. Yesterday I found one queen cell on bottom of frame that was sealed. In a panic I took it out thinking that the colony was too new to swarm !! The queen is there and eggs, larvae, sealed brood and stores are all present. They have drawn comb on all but one frame. If they swarm will the workers rear a new queen I have put a super on top of brood box

 

[Foxylad]

How many frames of brood?

Hive type?

Are they working the super above? Or are they filling the BB with stores?

 

[oliver90owner]

In a panic

Don't!

Close up and take advice, or think about it carefully. She could have already gone! She could be poorly and they are replacing her. she may be a fresh, untested queen in with a different strain of worker. It is easy to mess things up, and much more difficult to put things right when you have!

I very much doubt you need that super if your colony was a 5 frame nuc. Possible, even very likely if a prime swarm.

A little more detail of the history of your bees might help assess the situation more accurately. Starting with hive type and then including details of the bees' origins.

There is a 'sticy' for new members asking questions.

Welcome to the forum, btw.

Regards, RAB

 

[honeypot]

About six frames of brood in a national hive, I only put the super on yesterday. How quickly would I expect the frames to fill with brood.

 

[Poly Hive]

FWIW I usually super on 8 frames of brood. I feel you are a week early at the least esp if your queen is being guided to supercedure as it seems she is.

PH

 

[peteinwilts]

as your queen is there and so are brood, do the eggs have a good pattern? a 'faulty' queen can convince the bees to make QC's

as you have only had them for three weeks, I would destroy it and see if they make any more. you might find that it is was just a panicy response to the move of house.

destroy it quick before the queen goes awol. (make sure she is still there prior to destroying!)

it is not the size or newness of the hive that convinces the hive to swarm. it can be the type of bee, the weather conditions, the condition of the queen or how powerful the urge to reproduce (among others!)

 

[honeypot]

The queen is there and there was only one queen cell sealed on that frame. There have been other empty queen cells which I have took off. The pattern is ok I think. There are drone cells in clusters

 

[honeypot]

I have posted three pictures of the frames in albums

 

[honeypot]

Thanks for all the advice. I am going to look on Saturday and if I find another queen cell with larvae in then I will leave as I think the queen is possibly not laying adequately, if it looks like swarm cells I will do an AS

 

[oliver90owner]

There are drone cells in clusters

Not good for a nuc. But it may be a nuc which did not have a proven queen. There should not be drone brood in a nucleus, but some supplied nucs are simply put together and sent out. Not so good.

If it was a well managed nuc and the queen was mother to at least some of the workers, she may be turning into a drone layer. I would be contacting the supplier if any of the newly capped brood is drone. Small expanding colonies do not normally produce drone brood.

You need to keep watch and if so, get the queen changed by the supplier, if a purchased nucleus colony. That would save time at this point in the season, the queen (from this queen) may not have a good temperament and you may have already paid good money for what may turn out to be a dud.

Regards, RAB