[D Coates]

While checking my 2 hives I found my healthiest one with 3 swarm cells and no eggs. One of the Swarm cells may have already hatched (ragged edges). I did open one of the other swarm cells and she looked freshly capped. I left the other one alone.

How I missed those has me befuddled. I check them every weekend. I'm apparently not as perfect as I've been telling my wife

Any recommendations please?

 

[AndrewSchwab]

Let them be, sounds like you will have a fresh queen for next year.
Only issue, is there enough drones left for a good mating?

 

[D Coates]

The hive I've got next to it has some drones. That queens hive has stopped laying any more drones though. How many do you need for a "good mating"

Do I try to catch the swarm? I don't see how they could survive the winter with it being this late. If I do catch them I guess I'd remove the queen and combine them with my weaker hive.

This is my first year so this is all new to me.

 

[ScadsOBees]

If the queens have hatched, any potential swarm is gone. But queen cells doesn't necessarily mean swarm. It could be a supercedure or emergency.

Where were the swarm cells? Middle frame bottom edge? I'd bet this is a supercedure. There should be plenty of drones yet to get a good mated queen, depending on the flying weather, of course.

>>"I'm apparently not as perfect as I've been telling my wife"
You can tell your wife that all you like but that don't mean she beleives you (mine don't!!!).

-rick

 

[Mitch]

Being you do not have any eggs I think your hive is superceding let them be for a few weeks and see if you get some new eggs.If you rmoves the queen cells you may not have a queen at all.

 

[D Coates]

Thanks everyone. I've had an emergency supercedure in my other hive a few months back. I was even pulling frames of new eggs from this hive to put in my other hive so they could manufacture their own queen. That eventually worked and now that hive it catching up.

These cells are on the bottom of the frame and they look like peanuts. From all of the pictures I seen of swarm cells this is a spittin' image. One is still capped and the other looks like it may have been opened from the inside out because it has ragged looking edges. But I can see no other sign that supports that a queen was ever in there. Nonetheless I've set up a bait hive to try to catch the swarm if they haven't swarmed already.

I read that before a swarm the queen stops laying eggs as the queen slims down for flight and the workers prepair for the move. Am I incorrect?

 

[CWBees]

I found these Queen cels in my Carniolan hive that likes to swarm.

http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i91/beekeeper_2006/IMG_0320.jpg

I cut them out. There was brood in the hive so I don't think it's supercedure. I hope they still dont swarm.

[ September 11, 2006, 02:13 PM: Message edited by: CWBees ]

 

[Michael Bush]

Unless it's really crowded they won't swarm this time of year. If it IS crowded they MIGHT be swarm cells. I'm always paranoid of destroying them because you never know if they ALREADY swarmed or if they will swarm ANYWAY. Then you're queenless. I'd rather pull the frame with the queen cells out and put it in a nuc so I'll have a spare queen when the dust clears and I figure out what's going on.