Deaner666
New Bee
- Joined
- Feb 16, 2011
- Messages
- 22
- Reaction score
- 0
- Location
- Cornwall
- Hive Type
- Commercial
- Number of Hives
- 2
Hi all,
I went through my big hive yesterday and found four sealed queen cells.
They seemed like classic supersedure cells to me - there were only 4, they were in the middle of the frame (2 each on 2 frames) and the hive has three supers on, the top one of which is only half full with honey.
This is the end of the second laying season for this queen. This is the first inspection that I've seen a lack of larvae. There was still some sealed brood, but practically no larvae (I can never see eggs). It's a bit early for her to have stopped laying completely isn't it?
I normally hate destroying queen cups / cells, preferring to leave the bees to their own means, but after some apparent supersedure cells turning into swarms on another hive (see this thread) I decided to destroy all but the one healthiest looking queen cells.
Have I done the right thing? Is it normal for the bees to be choosing to supersede at this time of year? Will a newly hatched queen have time to mate now? (There were still drones in the hive).
Cheers,
Dave
I went through my big hive yesterday and found four sealed queen cells.
They seemed like classic supersedure cells to me - there were only 4, they were in the middle of the frame (2 each on 2 frames) and the hive has three supers on, the top one of which is only half full with honey.
This is the end of the second laying season for this queen. This is the first inspection that I've seen a lack of larvae. There was still some sealed brood, but practically no larvae (I can never see eggs). It's a bit early for her to have stopped laying completely isn't it?
I normally hate destroying queen cups / cells, preferring to leave the bees to their own means, but after some apparent supersedure cells turning into swarms on another hive (see this thread) I decided to destroy all but the one healthiest looking queen cells.
Have I done the right thing? Is it normal for the bees to be choosing to supersede at this time of year? Will a newly hatched queen have time to mate now? (There were still drones in the hive).
Cheers,
Dave