supersedure cell?

[GJUK]

Hi guys,

Can you help advise if this looks like a supersedure cell please?
It is smack bang in the middle of the frame, at the very top and it is occupied.

The queen in the colony is from 2015.
This is the only queen cell in the hive, having split this colony about 3 weeks ago they have stopped producing multiple swarm cells.
I've just returned from a 5 day business trip and found this on its own.

Thanks,

Jon

 

[Etton]

Hi guys,

Can you help advise if this looks like a supersedure cell please?
It is smack bang in the middle of the frame, at the very top and it is occupied.

The queen in the colony is from 2015.
This is the only queen cell in the hive, having split this colony about 3 weeks ago they have stopped producing multiple swarm cells.
I've just returned from a 5 day business trip and found this on its own.

Thanks,

Jon

Doesn't look like one to me, more of a queen cup. I have found just one QC today much more like a peanut than yours. I destroyed and will look out on next inspection for any more.

 

[Swarm]

If it is charged, occupied, it is a queen cell not a cup.

I tend to think not after hearing they were in swarm mode not long ago. You have performed a split but you have not suppressed their instinct you've only delayed it.

 

[daveincrewe]

I've come to ask the same question. I've found two occupied queen cells at the top of a frame today.

There are a few unoccupied queen cups scattered about the brood box.

This is the first year I've had the bees - I moved them from a nuc to the hive in early April and they have one brood box and one super (national), both with at least one frame with just foundation and a couple of frames of drawn comb, but not much else.

I removed a load of drone brood from the bottom of a couple of frames last week.

They've been feeding on sugar syrup since I had them, and I withdrew it last weekend as the weather was warming up and most of the comb had been drawn.

So...does the below look like supercedure or swarm cells please?

 

[Swarm]

Time for swarm prevention.

 

[masterBK]

Swarm cells are usally on the periphery of the combs often attached to the woodwork like the one in the photo They build them there because there is less inhibiting footprint pheromone from the queen as she tends to walk less on the periphery of combs. Swarm cells are generally more numerous with several cells in different stages of development. If you see the queen you might be able to notice if she is bejng slimmed down for the "off". Another clue is that less eggs are being laid . You notice this on combs of emerging brood as the cells are not being back filled with eggs after the previous occupants have emerged.
There does seem to be a higher proportion of my colonies (the larger ones) than usual superseding this cold dry spring.

 

[daveincrewe]

Thanks for the help. By this morning the Queen cell had been capped and a few others had sprung up. Luckily the Queen had not departed so i was able to do an artificial swarm.

Fingers crossed.