# Question on supercedure



## cwells616 (May 12, 2006)

Hello all, been awhile since I've written in. We've had above average rainfall hear in the north central Texas area and have wildflowers galore and the bees seem to be making the most out of it. I'm still pretty new to it all and have a question for any who can offer advice. I have two hives near the house that are of the Buckfast variety out of R Weaver. My first two packages were of the russian strain and didn't even make it through the summer before absconding. These two, however are into their second full spring and all was going well until I checked yesterday and found no eggs. In the first hive, I saw what I believed to be a new queen (are they a little smaller when they first emerge?) I haven't seen one to know enough if it was a young queen but she had the wings folded back tightly and she seemed to have a little longer abdomen than the workers. I did see what looked like queen cells at the top of a frame, not really peanut shaped but they were turned down and looked as if they had been torn by an emerging bee. In the second hive, there were two obvious queen cells in the upper part of one frame, the peanut shape I've read so much about. They weren't capped and I couldn't look to see if there was larvae in them or not so I don't know if they were in the pre-capping stage or post emergence stage (can you tell the difference?) Most frames did not have any eggs but there was a small area on one frame where there were 2,3 or 4 eggs per cell, indicating a laying worker. Should I be concerned or will the bees take care of this on their own? I've read where you can shake the frames off in the grass a short distance from the hive and the laying worker, which is usually a nurse bee that hasn't left the hive yet, won't get back to the hive. But I don't want to shake off a new queen if she's there. Any theories why both hives are superceding at the same time? I don't know if I'll be able to get any queens fast to replace if I need to (any suggestions?) I have two new hives from swarms caught this spring and I want to try to start some nucs next spring to raise new queens, or can I do it before fall so I will have them on hand by next spring? I was planning on waiting about a week and open the hives back up and check for eggs. Any help would be appreciated!


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## bbbbeeman (Jan 13, 2007)

*cwell*

yes from what you said it look like you have new qweens (young). in the hive .look at them in a week to see if you have eggs .but i dont understand why you are having such bad luck with the qweens.better luck ROCK.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

Sounds like the bees are taking care of things. I'd let them.


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## cwells616 (May 12, 2006)

Do they also become a little more defensive during this time because my wife has complained of the bees getting after them in the garden and in the yard and the hives are about 50 yards away.


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## bbbbeeman (Jan 13, 2007)

*unhappy bee*

cwell; yes when the bee are not right they will be a little more agressive, thing like not queen right, skunks,or other thing that botherthe hive. good luck ROCK


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