swarm cell

[ivashka]

When bees make swarm cells, do they usually make more than one?  I checked my hive today and looks like one of the frames has a capped queen cell.  It looks really funny.  It looks like a queen cell that is on the bottom of the comb and it seems like it connects with the bottom bar.  I checked my hive 2 days ago and it was the same issue, but I destroyed it and didn't see anything inside even though it was already capped.
I tried to locate my queen but couldn't find her.  I wonder if it's really a swarm cell?

[BjornBee]

Never destroy a swarm cell, and leave the old queen. It is the best way to become queenless. Once they have decided to swarm, removing swarm cells does little. Remember, it is the old queen that leaves first. So if the queen already left, or is already programmed to do so in the next day or so, and you kill the cells, the hive has no way of requeening themselves.

If you find swarm cells, you can remove the old queen, thus "artificially swarming" the hive. This allows a swarm to take place under controlled conditions. You can always combine back later, start a new colony, harvest additional swarm queen cells, etc. They are just giving you the options, and it is up to you as to what you desire.

Yes, they normally make more than one swarm cell. But they are also sometimes clustered on that last frame that gets overlooked, or in places where you normally don't find them.

The fact you can not find the queen, may suggest she already left. Don't kill anymore cells till you find her. You are headed down a path many have done previously, all based on bad advice over the years about killing swarms cells. Don't do it. It almost never stops the old queen from leaving.

[JP]

Find a local mentor to assist you on how to make splits for swarm prevention. As mentioned, removing queen cells could leave you with a queenless hive.


...JP

[Hethen57]

Another thing I have found is that if you see a swarm cell or two, be very careful if you are going to try to look for the queen to do the artificial swarm, because they put queen cells in unusual places and digging around in the hive (even gently) can be detrimental to some of those cells that are sandwiched between frames or between boxes.  I'm sure the experienced beeks have a good way of dealing with this, but I felt awful the first time I pulled out a frame and wondered what that cream filling was, only to discover that it was royal jelly and I had inadvertently destroyed a queen cell.  I realized why you need to tip the boxes and check for swarm cells in the spring before starting to pull frames.

[ivashka]

 :ws Today i checked my hive and found more queen cells, some are on the sides and some are on the bottom.  Some of them are capped and some of them aren't and some even have holes to the side.   I added a couple of combless frames.  I also took honey frames from medium and added new frames.  Removed queen excluder.  Checked and didn't see no eggs and no larvae.  Looks like my queen is gone but I still have pretty good amount of really mean bees left.  I think I have over crowded swarm because when I looked in the nest and it's all filled with honey. 

Would should I do next?  :scratch: Should I do split or should I put new box with 10 frames?  ANY suggestions will help.  And thank you ALL for replying and your advises.  I greatly appreciate.:) :D

Also, what should I with those couple of frames that i removed that are full of honey.  I really don't want to get my extracter dirty just for a couple.  How long can i hold on to a frame with honey without doing anything to it?

[wcubed]

Re: existing queen cells
Holes in cells indicate you have a replacement young Q who has taken out the potential competition. Not fully developed cells are backup insurance in case the new Q is lost in the mating sequence.

The 2 frames removed may be honey if capped. If not capped, they are more likely nectar in some stage of curing, and not suitable for extraction. If open-cell or capped, they will last without damage indefinatly in the freezer, but I would give them back to the colony. Capped are stores they are counting on and open-cell is brood area they will clear for the new Q when she is laying. Open-cell nectar/honey is readily eaten or moved.

The damage is done. Let them go through the sequence without interference. If you elect to put the frames back in, do it in the early AM, so as not to disrupt the mating activities in the early PM. Note that even smoking the colony is a disruption lasting for at least a few hours.

Walt

[Michael Bush]

I woud do a split.

http://www.bushfarms.com/beessplits.htm#swarmcontrol

[ivashka]

Michael, i looked at your link and it says how to do a split if queen is still there, but mine is already gone.  What should I do?

[BjornBee]

 :pop:

[JP]

Your hive likely swarmed already and is preparing to throw off other swarms. If you make at least one split, you will wind up likely with two hives. Could maybe even wind up with two hives and a nuc.

Make sure you transfer equal frames throughout each new set up, giving each of the two or three new set ups swarm cells so they can all make new queens.

Of course all this depends on numbers. The more bees you have, the more splits you can make.

Move the existing hive and place a new set up where the old hive was.


...JP

[Michael Bush]

Make sure they both have queen cells.

[ivashka]

OK, :)

[ivashka]

I went to do the spilt yesterday and I found my old queen in the hive and all of the swarm cells destroyed.  What is this all about???????  Looks like she started laying eggs again.  I am not sure what to do now. 

[JP]

No swarm cells and a laying queen. Well, if they want to supersede her they will and you should let them, but it seems they have it all worked out now.

All you can do is keep an eye on them and see if they need your assistance.

Go and make some lemonade.  ;)


...JP