Supersedure sense check

[MrMouse]

Hi all,

Quick sense check if possible.

I have a strong double brood colony headed up by a 2023 non clipped buckfast queen.

Maybe not quite firing on as many cylinders as earlier on in the season.

A couple of weeks ago I found a single capped cell but also found the current queen and eggs. Queen looked ok.
I squished the cell (rightly or wrongly).

Yesterday I went back in and found another, single capped cell.

The 2023 queen is still there and plenty of eggs around.

My impression here is that they’re superseding and I should just leave them to crack on? I have therefore left the cell in situ.

In which case I’ll aim not to look in the brood box for the next 3 weeks or so.

Any thoughts welcome!

Thanks

 

[The Poot]

Hi all,

Quick sense check if possible.

I have a strong double brood colony headed up by a 2023 non clipped buckfast queen.

Maybe not quite firing on as many cylinders as earlier on in the season.

A couple of weeks ago I found a single capped cell but also found the current queen and eggs. Queen looked ok.
I squished the cell (rightly or wrongly).

Yesterday I went back in and found another, single capped cell.

The 2023 queen is still there and plenty of eggs around.

My impression here is that they’re superseding and I should just leave them to crack on? I have therefore left the cell in situ.

In which case I’ll aim not to look in the brood box for the next 3 weeks or so.

Any thoughts welcome!

Thanks

Seems sensible to me

 

[user 819]

One should clip , just as an insurance.

 

[Sutty]

I had an identical situation - single QC twice. I left them to it on 8th May, checked on 31st & found multiple sealed QCs one soon to emerge & a slimmed down marked queen which I nuced. I reckon they would have swarmed that day!
They still swarmed on 6th june (witnessed) as I missed a cell but I found & removed it & re-united the swarm.

I'd assume it's swarm preparation & nuc the queen, going back later to remove EQCs.

 

[enrico]

You are losing little by putting the old queen in a nuc as insurance.

 

[Sutty]

You are losing little by putting the old queen in a nuc as insurance.

Absolutely! Even if it is supersedure then in the event of eg a failed mating the nuc can be united with the hive.

 

[MrMouse]

Thanks all,

Not going to be able to get back into them before Friday so we’ll just have to see what happens.

 

[ericbeaumont]

impression here is that they’re superseding and I should just leave them to crack on?

End of summer? Leave them to it, but bees are very likely to swarm on supersedure at this time of year.

I squished the cell

Never a good idea to work against the wishes of bees, esp. when they have options to defeat you.

aim not to look in the brood box for the next 3 weeks

Clip the queen today. Other option is to nuc her, but in the absence of her pheromone you'll have to go through next week and remove EQCs.

PS: wrote & posted this (so I thought) a few days ago just as the BKF crashed, so much has been suggested already.

 

[MrMouse]

Ahhh I thought I was doing the right thing by not fiddling too much (my norm).
I suppose we’ll have to wait and see unless I can get through them at 0600 tomorrow morning

 

[ericbeaumont]

have to wait and see

Wet weather this week may make them stick to that single SS QC, or maybe forget the whole idea for now.

 

[MrMouse]

I’ll try and clip her late tonight or early tomorrow.
I assume by clipping you, in effect, prevent them from swarming and push them towards supersedure instead?

 

[E&MBees]

When the bees try swarming with a clipped queen, she falls to the ground because she can’t fly. The bees return to the hive. They may try again once the virgin emerges, but it will give you a few days extra to sort them out.

 

[enrico]

I’ll try and clip her late tonight or early tomorrow.
I assume by clipping you, in effect, prevent them from swarming and push them towards supersedure instead?

Just don't believe it lessens the swarming instinct because it doesn't. It just gives you a few more days to do what is needed

 

[MrMouse]

Thanks all, I whizzed in and clipped the queen this morning. The cell I had found previously wasn’t clearly visible this morning but it wasn’t a full inspection. Bit of a mad dash.

What needs to be done next? Thanks

 

[ericbeaumont]

I assume by clipping you, in effect, prevent them from swarming and push them towards supersedure instead?

a few days extra to sort them out

As E&M said, it does not prevent swarming, but I have an idea that you have yet to memorise swarming and virgin dates, which would enable you to manage the process effectively.

A swarm will leave on day 9 at which point the clipped queen will fall and is either lost, or crawls back under the hive floor, or crawls back into the hive. The swarm itself will recognise the absence of a queen and return to the hive, to await the emergence of the first virgin on day 16.

The beekeeper has a max. of 7 days (safer to say 6) to sort the matter, to check under the floor for a swarm with the clipped queen, and shake them into a nuc box. If eggs are found in the hive, the clipped queen must be found and put into a nuc; QCs apart from the one chosen must be removed.

The QC will open on day 16 and as that is the only option available to replace the queen, the colony will not swarm.

What needs to be done next?

With the info. given so far you will be able to work out a plan.

 

[MrMouse]

Thanks all, I’m content with what to do for swarm control purposes, I think.
I think my thoughts have been somewhat clouded by the thinking that this is supersedure.

 

[jarmo henttu]

Hi all,

Quick sense check if possible.

I have a strong double brood colony headed up by a 2023 non clipped buckfast queen.

Maybe not quite firing on as many cylinders as earlier on in the season.

A couple of weeks ago I found a single capped cell but also found the current queen and eggs. Queen looked ok.
I squished the cell (rightly or wrongly).

Yesterday I went back in and found another, single capped cell.

The 2023 queen is still there and plenty of eggs around.

My impression here is that they’re superseding and I should just leave them to crack on? I have therefore left the cell in situ.

In which case I’ll aim not to look in the brood box for the next 3 weeks or so.

Any thoughts welcome!

Thanks

It seems that they want a new queen.
IF you do not them to do it, they do it in Autumn.

 

[ericbeaumont]

thoughts have been somewhat clouded by the thinking that this is supersedure

It is, but with the seasonal likelihood of swarming on it.