BBKA Forum

British Beekeepers Association Official Forum 

  • Found Queen Cells - What Next?

  • Beginners forum, ask beekeeping related questions and get help from other experienced beekeepers. Please use the Search Feature please to avoid duplicated threads
Beginners forum, ask beekeeping related questions and get help from other experienced beekeepers. Please use the Search Feature please to avoid duplicated threads
 #3702  by Japey Edge
 22 Jun 2019, 18:27
Cheers guys I appreciate it.
I'll go the way Nigel recommends - moving queen into new box and splitting that way. Hopefully then they'll settle their swarm/supersedure fever.
The mentor said they're good bees and she's a good queen so hopefully her new colony will keep her.
Either way, I'd like more than one strong colony.
 #3703  by Japey Edge
 22 Jun 2019, 18:33
Also, I forgot to ask...

Say I find 3 QCs in my main hive..

I take queen and ZERO QCs to nuc.

Can I cut out one QC and put in my mini mating hive and scoop some bees in, leaving 2 QCs in main hive?
 #3708  by Patrick
 22 Jun 2019, 21:16
Yup, you only need one Queen cell in any split. Personally I wrap each cell in foil leaving only the tip exposed up the tube created. It is just an insurance against the workers making a mistake and tearing it down, then having to raiser much inferior emergency cells. If the mininuc raises a good laying queen you can requeen the nuc and replace the originsl swarm queen. I am always looking to keep queens as young as possible.