[Jeff G]

Day 1:New 3# package of Carniolians from California installed in Ohio
Day 4: Inspected, and queen was released and a few batches of eggs present. One supersedure cell right beside the Queen cage. Workers ate through the cork so she was probabley out by day 2 or 3. Six frames with drawn comb.
Day 11: Inspection and saw the queen, she is big. Great egg laying patterns really filling everything with no misses. Superseding cell still there. Good stores of honey and pollen.
Day 14: Today. Superceding cell is in day 12 or 13.

I would like to keep the new queen because she seems to be doing well. I would like to remove the superseding cell. I have seen and heard answers both ways so I would welcome any insite. Is the cell too far along and has the current queen begun to slow down her egg output? Should I just leave well enough alone?

In a supersedure does the new queen mate and then come back for the old queen or does she go after the new queen right out of the gate? Or do the workers take care of the old quee?

Thanks.

 

[MichelinMan]

Let me get this straight... you just installed a package with a new queen and she's doing great? Personally I would try to keep her. I would cull the supercedure cells. But I don't know Carniolans. I know Russians. Russians keep queen cells almost all year round. I think they're sort of telling the queen she can be replaced at their whim so she better perform.

But the bees know what they're doing. Maybe from their perspective she's not up to snuff so they want to replace her. But don't worry too much about it. If you cull the supercedure cells and they really want to replace her, they will build new ones... and rest assured they will eventually get their way.

Are you sure they are not planning to swarm? Cell position on the frame is not a guaranteed way to know if their intent is to swarm or supercede. Often before a swarm, the queen goes nuts and fills the frames with eggs.

 

[Peter]

Did you check to see if there is anything in the supersedure cell? Maybe just a play cell.
If real would be capped by now as I think queen cells are capped at day 7 or 8?

 

[rkr]

Did you check to see if there is anything in the supersedure cell?

Peter has a point. An empty queen cup is not a big deal per say. It's when the start to fill them that is an issue.

RKR

 

[StevenG]

6 frames of drawn comb, a great queen... if and when the supercedure cell gets capped, I'd be tempted to set up a nuc with that supercedure cell, and let the nuc grow that queen! Are you aiming for a honey crop from that package this year, or more colonies? With a nuc, if the package queen does in fact fail, you've got a backup. If she doesn't, you've got another colony. And if you don't need another colony, I'll take it off your hands!

 

[Jeff G]

Thanks for all you comments. You got me thinking about whether the supercedure cell was capped; so i went out and took a look. From Monday to today it just disappered. I went through each frame twice and my neighbor was looking too and it just disappered.

I guess bees know best.

Thanks again for the help.

 

[fish_stix]

They build numerous "cups" all the time. Just look inside next time, they're usually empty. The larva is easy to see if they're actually raising a new queen.

 

[Countryboy]

Hi Jeff,
We have a decent bee club here in Knox County, the Kokosing Valley Beekeepers. I've been pushing to get a mentor program going this year. If you email [email protected] they can put you on the mailing list for the club newsletter, and match you up with an experienced beekeeper that lives close to you.

Sounds like your bees are coming along good.