What to do...keep Queen cells, destroy or other?

[Etton]

Today found 2 open QC and 2 sealed. Eggs and larvae present but cant find queen, looked 3 times. Should I destroy the QC's or could I put the frame with QC and one of brood plus a frame of feed in a nuke? What would you bee experts do, if cant find the queen?
My first full year, started the season with one hive now four (two AS and one captured swarm) its getting a lot to do. No brood boxes left, I have left a couple of supers and a nuke box.
Loving it but challenging!

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

Snelgrove AS2. Although they might well have swarmed. QC frame and foundation on the original site BEING SURE NO Q with it and move the rest. Well written up elsewhere on here.


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[jenkinsbrynmair]

destroying all the QC's is never an option IMHO. as TTLTB - if you can't find the queen do a Wally Shaw - if she's gone (and I think she has) you have enough QC's for both halves of the split.
Just put the flying bees half in the nuc.

 

[oliver90owner]

Yes I. The nuc, not nuke!

 

[sugarbush]

Aspirate out the royal jelly of the excess cells and freeze it to use to prime grafts later on.

 

[alldigging]

http://www.wbka.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/There-Are-Queen-Cells-In-My-Hive-WBKA-WAG.pdf

 

[Etton]

Thanks really good page. Have decided it's supercedure 4 QC's all on same frame and Q is possibly 2 years old. Maybe wrong but also still finding eggs so Q present. Will take a gamble and leave well alone, but check for swarms on my twice visits each day.

 

[Eyeman]

Thanks really good page. Have decided it's supercedure 4 QC's all on same frame and Q is possibly 2 years old. Maybe wrong but also still finding eggs so Q present. Will take a gamble and leave well alone, but check for swarms on my twice visits each day.

You don't need to gamble.
Choose one QC, open if possible with juicy larvae and remove the rest.
Get the queen clipped so that if they attempt to swarm they won't go far!

 

[Etton]

You don't need to gamble.
Choose one QC, open if possible with juicy larvae and remove the rest.
Get the queen clipped so that if they attempt to swarm they won't go far!

Hum...Wally Shaw says from Alldiggings link page .... " If supersedure cells are found in a colony, beekeeper should leave well alone and hope the outcome will be successful." So do I go in and remove some cells or leave? I could remove the two open ones and leave 2 sealed? More answers than questions!!

 

[beeno]

You don't need to gamble.
Choose one QC, open if possible with juicy larvae and remove the rest.
QUOTE]


If the conditions are right they can swarm on any queen cells.

 

[Etton]

You don't need to gamble.
Choose one QC, open if possible with juicy larvae and remove the rest.
Get the queen clipped so that if they attempt to swarm they won't go far!

Hum...Wally Shaw says from Alldiggings link page .... " If supersedure cells are found in a colony, beekeeper should leave well alone and hope the outcome will be successful." So do I go in and remove some cells or leave? I could remove the two open ones and leave 2 sealed? More answers than questions!!

 

[enrico]

If you are not too late already this is what I would do...remove all but one with a grub or remove all but two sealed. But that is only repeating what has been said before. This supersedure lark is a real gamble. The cells are not labelled supersedure or swarm. The chance of a change of mind by the bees is always there.......but......you need to make a decision and stick with it and learn by your own experiences knowing that what you have decided is your decision and you can't blame anyone else!

E

 

[For want of a better word]

Lots of probabilities with lots of outcomes....
Sometimes I would split the colony down into say 4 nuc boxes... stores and brood in each.
remove all queen cells, checking each frame as they go into the nucs for q cells and or the queen or a virgin?

Leave nucs well alone for a week and then go back through and check for eggs... if you have some that nuc will have either a new or your original queen.
Re queen all the rest with a locally bred queenbee that is showing all the attributes you desire... please do not import.

and keep that royal jelly... give it to someone who does grafting... join a bee breeding group..

Good luck

Yeghes da

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

If you are not too late already this is what I would do...remove all but one with a grub or remove all but two sealed. But that is only repeating what has been said before. This supersedure lark is a real gamble. The cells are not labelled supersedure or swarm. The chance of a change of mind by the bees is always there.......but......you need to make a decision and stick with it and learn by your own experiences knowing that what you have decided is your decision and you can't blame anyone else!

E

@Enrico: OT but I am so jealous of our lime.

OP: there are no labels, and no rules. I had a seriously dodgy emergency Q they set about superseding immediately. But instead of leaving her hanging around or killing her they swarmed her out. Think about it from a reproductive point of view; it makes sense (albeit this was a bit earlier in the season when they could again supersede her in their new digs.)

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

. This supersedure lark is a real gamble. The cells are not labelled supersedure or swarm. The chance of a change of mind by the bees is always there
E

The yardstick I use is, if there is more than one QC and the queen is still there treat as swarming. If there is only one QC it just MIGHT be supersedure

 

[sugarbush]

Your bees must be swarmier than ours. I read though these threads and have no idea why you guys are so anal retentive about swarm control. I haven't had a hive swarm in at least 5-6 years. Sure they build practice cells, prime some of then and rip them down all the time, but I split early in the season and they usually will not attempt a swarm after our spring flow which peaks in mid June.

 

[B+.]

Your bees must be swarmier than ours.
<snip>
I split early in the season and they usually will not attempt a swarm after our spring flow which peaks in mid June.

Its probably something to do with available space. Most people here use "Nationals" (where 3 deeps are about the same comb area as 2 Langstroth deeps).

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Or the fact that you don't inspect throughout the season so you wouldn't know whether they've swarmed or not

I only do full inspections in the spring and fall to rectify any issue before the flow and to zip them up for the winter.

 

[B+.]

Or the fact that you don't inspect throughout the season so you wouldn't know whether they've swarmed or not

I haven't had a hive swarm in at least 5-6 years.

Pressumably, they were marked queens? How else would you know they hadn't swarmed?
I seriously doubt that the same queen lived a productive life for 5-6 years

 

[sugarbush]

Most of my queens go unmarked, but when a person isn't managing 100 of hives, you can tell by the change in activity if they swarm. This time of year there are always clusters of bees at the entrance, that will suddenly change post a swarm.