Swarm Cell

[George60]

Hi everyone, a question from a newby I bought a NUC last may off Eyeman and after a week transferred them to a new National hive within six weeks they filled the brood box so I decided to but 4 frames of brood honey and nectar and 2 empty frames back in the NUC.They made their own Queen, I checked them today and I now have 6 frames of brood honey and nectar and a very large Queen cell which I put in a roller cage and put in my National hive above the Queen excluder. Will this stop the Queen in the NUC from swarming? And what should I do with the cell?

Thanks George.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

How many frames of brood? how much extra space is left? only one QC?

 

[Beefriendly]

If just a single qc in your nuc with laying queen I wouldn't worry, unless several more appear.
Regarding queen cell, squish and throw away.
Or make up a third nuc and add the queen cell to it.
Do not let the queen emerge from the cell in your main hive whatever you do, chances are she will kill your queen as she will be small enough, when emerged, to slip through queen excluder.
If you have no idea how old the queen cell is..... get it out NOW!

 

[George60]

All frames are near enough full of capped brood and stores.

 

[George60]

I have the cell in a roller cage, I will get a new hive through the week and transfer the Nuc to it, and put the cell in the NUC with a couple of frames of brood and nurse bees.

 

[Beefriendly]

Ah yes, missed that bit. Be careful though you are playing with fire....

 

[George60]

only 1 large peanut cell now in a roller cage.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Do not let the queen emerge from the cell in your main hive whatever you do, chances are she will kill your queen as she will be small enough, when emerged, to slip through queen excluder.
If you have no idea how old the queen cell is..... get it out NOW!

Can newly emerged queens get through excluders?
I never considered the difference between newly emerged virgins and virgins ready to fly/mate

 

[beeno]

I have the cell in a roller cage, I will get a new hive through the week and transfer the Nuc to it, and put the cell in the NUC with a couple of frames of brood and nurse bees.

Sounds like a plan to me. However, it may not be a good queen as she has been raised by a nuc and mating is a bit late as drones are being thrown out due to the weather we have had. But hey let us know how you get on. In the meantime there is a chance that the old queen may swarm with a capped QC in the hive unless it is a supersedure cell and the nuc is to weak to swarm. Good luck.

 

[Beefriendly]

mating is a bit late as drones are being thrown out due to the weather we have had.

Very important to not let what's happening bro with bees darn sarth to influence whats going on uuup north. Or the middle buts either...
No drones being thrown out around here in North Yorkshire, reasonable balsam flow on at the moment, as I suspect there is around the Wirral.
Got a couple of virgins emerging this week and fully expect them to get well mated.
Big problem in beekeeping communications is understanding regional timing differences.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

All frames are near enough full of capped brood and stores.

Out of space - they're thinking of swarming

 

[Eyeman]

Hi George
Good to hear your doing well. Lots of helpful advice. You definitely need to get that nuc into a full size hive so good to hear you've one on order.
Here's a link to Dave Cushman's site talking about putting queen cells in cages:
http://www.dave-cushman.net/bee/usingqcells.html
Best of luck