Queen Cells

[Raceyboy]

Just opened up the hive and found 4 queen cells, I only checked the hive 5 days ago and they wasn't there then. I have crushed the cells, was this the right thing to do? I noticed a couple of nights ago that there was a lot of bees around the entrance, do you think they were ready to swarm? .....

 

[Finman]

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We think that they are not ready swarm. They are ready when they cap the first cells.
Now, if you continue cell braking, however the queen become slim and stop laying. You will be short of foragers in main yield.


It is better to do quickly farse swarm and get the queen continue laying.
When AS draw foundations, it looses swarming fever and then join the hive parts again. That is more simple than fight against queen cells.

 

[s&n]

I would keep a very close eye on them. Give them more foundation if you can. Check in a few days. I've had 3 hive swarm with just eggs in cups and just charged cells. AS maybe on the cards to be on the safe side.

 

[Finman]

I would keep a very close eye on them. Give them more foundation if you can. .

Foundations makes only worse the situation. Bees in swarm fever do not draw foundations. They only wait that they will go to new home.

 

[enrico]

You didn't say if the queen cells were capped or not. If they were I would suggest they have already swarmed, if not all you have done is delayed the inevitable. Suggest you artificially swarm them at the first opportunity. The bees around the entrance happens on hot nights. They are trying to cool down.

 

[REDWOOD]

You didn't say if the queen cells were capped or not. If they were I would suggest they have already swarmed, if not all you have done is delayed the inevitable. Suggest you artificially swarm them at the first opportunity. The bees around the entrance happens on hot nights. They are trying to cool down.

and you could now have a queenless colony, did you see the queen and or was there eggs

 

[TOBY-3652]

2 of mine have swarmed in the last 3 days. 1 i checked on the 24th and i must of missed a qcell, queen gone and lots of bees with her. And the other i artificial swarmed on the 20th checked 5 days later and knocked qcells off opend today 5 cells half way to being sealed and shese gone.. But on a good note picked up 2 swarms on tuesday and one queen is laying, nice swarm 2