How do I tell if they are swarm or supercedure cells?
The hive seemed full but not really overcrowded. I know the theory of artificial swarming, but have obviously never done it! I think I'm probably going to call on the chap from the association for help - he said I could call him with any problems.
swarm cells are along the edge of the frame.. supercedure cells are in the middle.
are you sure it wasn't burr comb? my new hives are building ALOT of that this year, and so are many others (according to my bee club). I'm in the Northeast US if that makes a difference
No, it was definitely queen cells. If I'm remembering correctly, some were towards the middle & some were near the edges (but about halfway up the sides rather than at the bottom).
1 - I think they were mostly about halfway up the frames, some towards the middle and some at the edge. I don't remember any being right at the bottom.
2 - It's a National hive, one brood box & one super.
3 - I think there was one frame in the brood box that wasn't really built up at all and another that was only partly built up. The others all had either capped brood and/or larvae & eggs. They haven't done anything with the foundation in the super yet.
4 - Stuff's been in flower here since around March. It's an urban/suburban area so mostly garden flowers & tree blossom, also quite a few wild flowers in the area as there's a lot of open green space near us.
I'm assuming you bought the them as an established colony in a hive. is the it sounds more like a supercedure going on but sometimes swarm cell appear on the face of frame
is brood in a good pattern? I ask because if the pattern is not solid then you may want to replace a weak queen. your girls should either be allowed to replace the queen or you should do it for them
your girls do sound like they were ready for the super, are you using an excluder? do beeks around you use 1 or 2 brood boxes? around here (central east coast USA) beeks are using 1 deep and 1 med or 2 deep or 3 med for brood, I use 3 med to standardize my equipment
w/o photos this is the best recommendation I can make other then the obvious of have an experienced beek from the local club look at your hive
Good luck w/ your girls I'd love to know what happens
Yes, they're an established colony, I believe from a nuc last spring. The brood was in a pretty solid pattern I think. I am using an excluder. I don't actually know what the norm is round here for brood boxes - I should find out!
Thanks for your input. I'm contacting the guy I got them from (he's experienced & from the local association) this evening.
Queen cells in the middle of the comb are supercedure cells. Let them do it. They are not whimsical about it.
Your story is a bit odd, though -- you broke them open and saw eggs? But if the larvae within were still eggs, the cells would not be capped, and before they are capped they would be filled with white goo (royal jelly). Placement of a queen cell near the edge (unless it is a swarm cell, on the bottom edge)of a frame is also strange.
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The hive seemed full but not really overcrowded. I know the theory of artificial swarming, but have obviously never done it! I think I'm probably going to call on the chap from the association for help - he said I could call him with any problems.
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are you sure it wasn't burr comb? my new hives are building ALOT of that this year, and so are many others (according to my bee club). I'm in the Northeast US if that makes a difference
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1) Where on the frames were the queen cells (bottom = Swarm or top = supercedure)
2) What type of hive is the colony in (there are a lot hive choices in the UK)
3) How many frames are NOT built up (both total and per box)
4) What flowers are in bloom in your area and how long have you see flowers
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2 - It's a National hive, one brood box & one super.
3 - I think there was one frame in the brood box that wasn't really built up at all and another that was only partly built up. The others all had either capped brood and/or larvae & eggs. They haven't done anything with the foundation in the super yet.
4 - Stuff's been in flower here since around March. It's an urban/suburban area so mostly garden flowers & tree blossom, also quite a few wild flowers in the area as there's a lot of open green space near us.
Thanks!
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it sounds more like a supercedure going on but sometimes swarm cell appear on the face of frame
is brood in a good pattern? I ask because if the pattern is not solid then you may want to replace a weak queen. your girls should either be allowed to replace the queen or you should do it for them
your girls do sound like they were ready for the super, are you using an excluder? do beeks around you use 1 or 2 brood boxes? around here (central east coast USA) beeks are using 1 deep and 1 med or 2 deep or 3 med for brood, I use 3 med to standardize my equipment
w/o photos this is the best recommendation I can make other then the obvious of have an experienced beek from the local club look at your hive
Good luck w/ your girls I'd love to know what happens
Reply
Thanks for your input. I'm contacting the guy I got them from (he's experienced & from the local association) this evening.
I'll definitely let you know what happens.
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Your story is a bit odd, though -- you broke them open and saw eggs? But if the larvae within were still eggs, the cells would not be capped, and before they are capped they would be filled with white goo (royal jelly). Placement of a queen cell near the edge (unless it is a swarm cell, on the bottom edge)of a frame is also strange.
Reply
They weren't capped, but I broke them apart. Most were empty & looked pretty new, two I think may have just had eggs in the bottom.
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