What would you do? One for our novice beekeepers

[Swarm]

Inspected today, May 24th, a huge colony, double brood with three supers, 2021 queen. BIAS, plenty of stores and not a single cup but one sealed queen cell on frame eight in the top box. Pollen a plenty downstairs and more BIAS, queen found third frame from the end.

 

[Erichalfbee]

That’s a good one. I hope beginners come up with some answers.

 

[Vanterrier]

Make a split in a Nuc taking frame 8 and two of food?
Not experienced with double brood
K

 

[Swarm]

I changed the title to help.

 

[Do224]

Just leave alone to supersede…if they were going to swarm they’d already have gone?

 

[JamezF]

Knocking the queen cell down is what usually happens, isn't it?

James

 

[pargyle]

I changed the title to help.

I don't think it did !

 

[Vanterrier]

Revisiting the question I think I missed the age of the Queen so I agree with Supercedure.
So as there's only two beginners here can we share the prize
K

 

[Swarm]

Don't forget the date/ time of year as well

JBM answers the question here...post #12
https://beekeepingforum.co.uk/threads/does-the-urge-to-reproduce-trump-all.56939/

 

[Erichalfbee]

Don't forget the date/ time of year as well

I would never assume that a strong colony on two broods and three supers would be superseding, especially this time of year.

 

[user 819]

Make a split in a Nuc taking frame 8 and two of food?
Not experienced with double brood
K

For most with no/little experience , it is the simplest action.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

but it's always better to put the queen in the nuc, not the QC, as, if it is swarming you have changed nothing in the main hive to avoid it happening.

 

[Curly green finger's]

I would never assume that a strong colony on two broods and three supers would be superseding, especially this time of year.

I’ve had a queen supersed on double brood and supers- nucing queen would be the safer option but personally I would like to see what happens, also as the cell is capped wouldn’t they of swarmed already?
not conclusive but!

 

[Curly green finger's]

Inspected today, May 24th, a huge colony, double brood with three supers, 2021 queen. BIAS, plenty of stores and not a single cup but one sealed queen cell on frame eight in the top box. Pollen a plenty downstairs and more BIAS, queen found third frame from the end.

Was there space to lay?

 

[Erichalfbee]

No. The safest option is to nuc the queen. If it’s supersedure they will try again in the nuc. I’ve just been through a colony with six capped queen cells and the queen still present. I think I find the queen still at home with capped cells more often than swarmed.

 

[Vanterrier]

Maybe the safest course of action for novices is to ask on here what to do then take an average of what the experts say and hope for the best.
THATS what I would do
K

 

[Erichalfbee]

I think it was a test to see how many of the beginners might join in and thrash this one out.

 

[Sutty]

In the light of thinking of recent experience I would make a nuc with the QC in the hope this is a supercedure impulse, which I would like to encourage/raise from, though not trusting them not to swarm, if they do it again I would make a nuc with the queen. I would also clip her in case I've missed a cell.

 

[fian]

No. The safest option is to nuc the queen. If it’s supersedure they will try again in the nuc. I’ve just been through a colony with six capped queen cells and the queen still present. I think I find the queen still at home with capped cells more often than swarmed.

A point:
-In a nucleus, the probabilities of a swarm are zero, the nurses would be in charge of eliminating the old queen to promote the favor of the new one.
-In the event that one of the two suffered a mishap, everything could still be combined into a hive.

 

[E&MBees]

Nuc’ing the queen is not a fail safe option unfortunately. I’ve got a colony that is now making swarm preparations in the nuc. Rather than split again, and use up valuable kit, the queen will be used to replace a lazy queen.