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During an inspection today, I saw various occupied supersedure and swarm cells in the hive. I found the queen and made a nuc. Should I destroy all the swarm cells and leave the supersedure cells?
Supersecure and swarm cells
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Chances are good they are all swarm cells, even the ones in the middle of the frames. If you removed the queen to a nuc, and do not wish to split the hive further, destroy all but two cells which are preferably on the same frame or adjacent faces.
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No, don’t do it
How developed were they?
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If you have resources to make splits use those queens while they are free.... When the virgins destroy cells, it's not that the best one wins but that the first one wins. If you make more splits then you can assess traits going forward and select the ones with the traits you like. You probably shouldn't expect honey from that hive this year, so make splits instead. And enjoy the fact that it's spring. We don't even have noticeable nectar coming in yet!
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Some supersedures were capped, some opened with royal jelly and some with eggs. Some swarm cells had royal jelly and some just eggs.No, don’t do it
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I already took out 7 overwintered queens from my hives as a swarm deterrent. Two of them were in swarm mode already.
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JW already clarified: bees don't swarm and supersede at the same time. Imagine: the queen is failing so they want to supercede her. Any bees gonna take off with her to start over?
So you have less than a week to split the old hive down into as many new colonies as you have capped swarm cells and brood resources for.... Think Mike Palmer's Sustainable Apiary....
So you have less than a week to split the old hive down into as many new colonies as you have capped swarm cells and brood resources for.... Think Mike Palmer's Sustainable Apiary....
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