Is this true?

[GRIMBEE]

Are supersedure cells located on the top two thirds of the frames, and swarm cells located on the bottom third?

[BULLSEYE BILL]

That's what it says in all the books.

[tecumseh]

it could happen!

[riverrat]

only if they intend on swarming or superceding the queen:D

[cdanderson]

That is indeed what the books say :) But one of the spokespersons at our state meeting said a "emergency" cell could be anywhere on the frame as the bees might be limited in egg choice if a Queen had died.

[samiyam318]

When a queen went missing about a month ago I found replacement cells at the top and on the bottom. You might call them all "supersedure cells," which they were functionally, even though the ones on the bottom resembled typical swarm cells. Were they building for a swarm when suddenly they were missing a queen? I don't know. In any event I now have a laying queen in there.

[BjornBee]

I think defining or understanding the three types of queen replacement is important.

You have swarm, supercedure, and emergency queen replacement.

I think one can get a good sense of which cell is which by looking at the cell itself. Swarm cells are usually produced from queen cups, and supercedure may or may not utilize these same cups. Emergency is usually from a worker cell on the face of the comb and has been drawn out and angled downward. Standard queen cells from queen cups are always facing down from the start.

With supercedure and emergancy queen rearing, cell/larvae position and availability may be limited as already noted.

I think reading the overall hive is important. Scattered brood, many queen cells(swarming) or just one or two(queen replacement), time of the season, and other factors.

It your looking for hard rules, there are none. Just percentages of it being one thing versus another. There will always be exceptions.

[ScadsOBees]

Yeah, "generally" true....exceptions may apply.

Swarm cells on the bottom, supercedure/emergency cells on the face of the comb.

[BULLSEYE BILL]

A swarm cell is more likely because of it's position in the hive.

Bees will make queen cells for future use when needed, they usually put them out of the way, not in the middle of their working area. The queen wants to lay eggs, when the comb is full of brood, pollen, or honey, she still wants to lay. So she will lay in any available place, including a queen cup.

Since she is limited to laying areas she will start shutting down, and the bees ready her for flight. A swarm is in her future.

[Michael Bush]

>It your looking for hard rules, there are none. Just percentages of it being one thing versus another. There will always be exceptions.

Exactly.

[chinitoe]

so which queen cell is the best to use? which ones would give a bigger or better queen?

ive noticed that some cells have a thick and dark peanut texture and others just a smooth light brown wax cover.

[Michael Bush]

>so which queen cell is the best to use? which ones would give a bigger or better queen?

The bigger cells.

[peggjam]

I find usually your swarm cells are the bigger and maybe better of the 3 types of cells. But, that's just me:).

[Aisha]

When a queen went missing about a month ago I found replacement cells at the top and on the bottom. [...] In any event I now have a laying queen in there.

I have the exact same thing happening right now - one on the top and one on the bottom. And they are due to emerge on or around tomorrow's new moon.

There was an empty queen cup at the top of the frame when I bought the hive though and I guess they used it. I heard they will build queen cups and not ever use them until they are needed. Is that true?

[Aisha]

The queen wants to lay eggs, when the comb is full of brood, pollen, or honey, she still wants to lay. So she will lay in any available place, including a queen cup.


Bullseye Bill,

I was wondering about this. Do you mean that a ready-made queen cup is like an overflow valve and the queen won't use it unless all the other cells are occupied? And as soon as she lays an egg in a pre-made queen cup, then the worker bees make that one into a queen so she can swarm and split the hive?

Whereas if the queen was ailing or sick, she wouldn't necessarily use the ready-made queen cup, but the workers would know to supercede somehow.

[GRIMBEE]

Keep It comming the books Iv'e been reading don't deliver as much infom as you all do. Thanks:D;)

[tecumseh]

michael bush sezs:
The bigger cells.

tecumseh replies:
well the question in regards to 'bigger and better' queen might be subject to a good deal of personal preferrence and certainly most queen breeder would tend to cull very small queen cells, but I think some caution should be encourged before suggesting that a bigger queen cell will result in a better queen.

just my take on the question...

[BULLSEYE BILL]

Bullseye Bill,

I was wondering about this. Do you mean that a ready-made queen cup is like an overflow valve and the queen won't use it unless all the other cells are occupied? And as soon as she lays an egg in a pre-made queen cup, then the worker bees make that one into a queen so she can swarm and split the hive?

Whereas if the queen was ailing or sick, she wouldn't necessarily use the ready-made queen cup, but the workers would know to supercede somehow.

There are no absolutes, but an 'overflow valve' is a good way to look at it. Yes, for the most part a queen will bypass all those queen cups unless there is no other place to lay. When she does use them then her days in that hive are numbered.

In an emergency or like you suggest she is ailing or sick, the bees will pick out an egg and make a cell around it no matter where it is.

As far as size of the queen, I can not say whether bigger is better, but reason would dictate that a larger queen should be able to (or has) pack(ed) away more semen therefore be able to lay for a longer time?