Queen Cells

[Macstu]

On my inspection I found 6 sealed queen cells so removed all but one, another one which I left the end was chewed it wasn't an unsealed cell there was a ragged look to it ,does this mean that one queen has already emerged. The old queen was marked and clipped and couldn't find her there are still a lot of workers and they are working the supers so they haven't swarmed.

 

[oliver90owner]

so they haven't swarmed.

100% confident of that? When was the previous inspection. I prefer facts to work on; that way we are not guessing as much.

 

[Macstu]

previous inspection was 8 days previous usually do seven but had a really wet day I didn't mean they haven't swarmed meant to say assumed they hadn't swarmed there is a alot of bees there 10 seams in brood box and a full super have placed another super on

 

[enrico]

Unlike RAB I do a lot of guessing. If you want facts then RAB is your man. My guess, you may have lost a swarm and possibly a cast! But you may not! Eggs will tell you if you have had a queen in the past three days! And if you still have eggs in another three days you still have a laying queen!
E

 

[oliver90owner]

If she was clipped, they likely swarmed and returned after losing the queen. They will go again with the first queen to emerge. And likely to throw casts as well. Making assumptions is often not a good idea. Base things on observations and bee husbandry facts. That is why, after all, the queens are clipped - not for no good reason!

Act now. Reduce to one cell, if there are still open cells, or split into two halves, one cell in each half or... some other choice depending on your future plans.

Clipped queens are often used by commercial beekeepers who would destroy all queen cells and introduce a queen in order to minimise any period of 'off-lay'. It allows a longer period between inspections, without losing half the bees from a hive. They would likely replace swarming queens with young mated ones, anyway. Crop is income to them.