Single queen cell

[Seanjakl]

I have a very strong hive of captured feral bees. They've been making queen cups but Saturday I discovered a single completely closed queen cell. I live in S. Ohio.  I dont think they are going to swarm being August and little or no flow of nectar. So why did they make the single queen cell? Should I do anything?  I really dont want the original queen to leave. She has survived at least two winters living in the walls of a log cabin. 

[Seanjakl]

I've attached a picture of the closed queen cell along with the empty queen cups. This is a top bar hive BTW

[Colobee]

A single queen cell is usually a supersedure cell. The bees may have sensed that the old queen needs to be replaced. You have a few options:

You can tear down the cell and hope that it works out. You can leave it and see what happens. You can pull the frame with the queen cell and put it in a nuc box with a few frames of brood & stores, or you can make up a similar nuc with the old queen and leave the cell where it is and see if you end up with a new mated queen.

If you have a spare box or two, options three or four increase the odds that you'll end up with at least one hive, and maybe two ( which you can re-combine, if you only want one).

[Michael Bush]

You have a bunch of cups there that may have larvae in them and they may be queen cells... I'd look and see.

[little john]

Should I do anything?  I really dont want the original queen to leave. She has survived at least two winters living in the walls of a log cabin.

Then it would appear that her time has finally come. It happens to all queens eventually, even the ones we value highly or have become fond of. It looks very much as if the bees have sensed that she will not carry the colony through another winter. And of course, it's their decision to make - not ours.

LJ

[Seanjakl]

it just seems weird that they would want to replace her because she appears to be doing great. A great brood nest. A very good balance of capped and uncapped larva. A very tight laying pattern... 
So I guess I should just leave everything as is and let the bees work it out?

[Eric Bosworth]

That's what I would do. You might try to split and make a nuc. When is your goldenrod flow? It is just starting here and I can smell the honey walking by my hives.

[Seanjakl]

Thanks for the input Eric. I would love to do a split but I am afraid might end up with two colonies too week to make it through winter. Unfortunately my lack of experience is creating a lack of conviction! I haven't noticed goldenrod blooming in my neighborhood yet.

[Eric Bosworth]

Like I said about the goldenrod flow... I highly recommend you read up on Michael Palmers overwintering nuc procedure. It is really good info.
http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?189642-Wintering-Nucs&highlight=nucleus+colonies

[Seanjakl]

thanks! I will