Installed a package on may 2 and today i observed a queen cell in the center of the two middle frames. Could a supersedure be taking place already they dont even have 6 frames coverd yet? The brood pattern looks good didnt see the queen but thats not unusual for me.
It very well could be. Is it just a cup or is it a complete cell? Remember, package bees and the queen supplied are introduced to each other when the package is assembled. She is a queen, but not their queen. Sometimes they accept her sometimes they don't.
Steve
Its a complete cell enclosed a few bees appeared to be working on it when i looked
Seems to happen quite frequently with commercial queens now days. I have one doing the same thing. New queen keep trying to supersede her.
She seems to be laying a good pattern so I cut cells several times. I know the bees know best bit it was a new queen and I am hard headed :shock:!
I finally give up --- i requeened it today.
Quote from: sc-bee on May 24, 2009, 12:28:04 AM
Seems to happen quite frequently with commercial queens now days. I have one doing the same thing. New queen keep trying to supersede her.
She seems to be laying a good pattern so I cut cells several times. I know the bees know best bit it was a new queen and I am hard headed :shock:!
I finally give up --- i requeened it today.
That was a smart move, quiting while you still had a queen. I always advise against removing queen cells, it's much better to use extra queen cells to start nucs so that a replacement queen is immediately available in case a supercedure doesn't take. Also, I've seen hives where the queen was killed almost immediately upon the capping of the supercedure cell, just as I've seen hives swarm once the replacement queen cells were capped. If that had happened in your hive you would now be queenless.
Thanks Brian I agree.
I was not cutting queen cells out unless I saw the old (which is a new queen).
I agree about cutting---- the bees know best.
Late reply I need to learn how to mark post.