One of my last year queens managed to wriggle through the QX and was laying in the supers for a couple of weeks in April. I put her back in the National brood box which she laid up wall to wall incredibly quickly. She is on three supers. Queen is clipped.
Went in today (overdue due to weather), Queen seen. Packed brood box with eggs and found a central frame with just two sealed cells - one off the top of the frame one down the side. All other frames shook and clear.
So - Q. still present although cells sealed. Frequent eggs seen. Last Year Q. Big colony so reduced pheromone? Very few cells for a big colony to produce as swarm cells. Are cells = supercedure? Therefore leave them to got on with it “bees know best” etc?
Or - Lot of bees. Q. run out of laying space. Plenty of stores. It’s peak swarming time and weather due to be fair = swarm cells?
What would you have done?
Went in today (overdue due to weather), Queen seen. Packed brood box with eggs and found a central frame with just two sealed cells - one off the top of the frame one down the side. All other frames shook and clear.
So - Q. still present although cells sealed. Frequent eggs seen. Last Year Q. Big colony so reduced pheromone? Very few cells for a big colony to produce as swarm cells. Are cells = supercedure? Therefore leave them to got on with it “bees know best” etc?
Or - Lot of bees. Q. run out of laying space. Plenty of stores. It’s peak swarming time and weather due to be fair = swarm cells?
What would you have done?