Queenless nuc

[Andrewapis@]

Hello all

I have a swarm i suspected they were queenless. I added a frame of brood from another hive. They have built a queen cell on another frame does this mean they are queenless stil. Also if they are queenless can I knock of the queen cell and introduce a mated queen or leave them to it.

Many thanks

 

[ericbeaumont]

built a queen cell

Likely, but not guaranteed. Could (hypothetically) be superseding the current queen, but in the absence of eggs, yes, probably queenless.

Do you want to spend £40 to find out? Could let them re-queen.

 

[Andrewapis@]

Thanks that's very helpful. I was just worried they would struggle to build up well enough for winter if I let them make there own queen.

 

[ericbeaumont]

struggle to build up well enough for winter

Always a risk. Suggest you add a frame of emerging sealed brood every week or so, once you're sure the virgin has mated.

 

[Andrewapis@]

Thanks for that glad people take the time to help out other hobbyists.

 

[Sutty]

They have built a queen cell on another frame

Do you mean there is a queen cell on a different frame to the one you added from the other colony?
If so there is presumably a queen present somewhere.

 

[ericbeaumont]

added a frame of brood from another hive. They have built a queen cell on another frame

Yes, puzzling chronology.

Could be that they were already superseding and are queenright, or currently superseding but queenless (they swarmed on it) or bees could have moved an egg from the given frame and made a QC, whether they're Q+ or Q-.

Andrew: was the QC seen before you gave the frame of brood? Are eggs present now?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

currently superseding but queenless (they swarmed on it)

not necessarily, there are two types of supersedure:
Perfect, where the bees wait until the new queen is proven before doing away with the old one
or imperfect, where they do away with the old queen as soon as they have a viable queencell

 

[Sutty]

Or maybe it was a cast swarm & the Q has just started laying but the bees aren't sure about her yet?

 

[Andrewapis@]

Yes, puzzling chronology.

Could be that they were already superseding and are queenright, or currently superseding but queenless (they swarmed on it) or bees could have moved an egg from the given frame and made a QC, whether they're Q+ or Q-.

Andrew: was the QC seen before you gave the frame of brood? Are eggs present now?

Hi Eric yes the cell was made after the frame of brood. I haven't seen any new eggs as of yet. The cell has larvae in it.

 

[ericbeaumont]

leave them to it.

Best policy: give them 3 weeks from the date the frame of brood was put in, and then look for eggs.