# Do I requeen or let nature take over!



## Steve_G (Apr 24, 2011)

Newbee here (5th week).

I performed an inspection today on my 1st of two hives.

The hive is 5 weeks old and has since last week its 2nd deep in-place (bottom deep is filled out nicely).

This hive I have never been able to find the queen since she released herself from her cage. 

Now my problem, this week I was determined to find the queen. I did a full inspection, there is brood 2-3 weeks old (and yes a very few drone cells), other cells are capped but I could not locate any eggs. What I did find was in the center of the 1st deep was 5-6 swarm cells. There was no swarm cells last week. 

Now here is my question, do I purchase a new queen and remove the swarm cells?
Do I let the bees just raise their own and let things be.

I am not really interested in honey this year, just want the bees to build up and hopefully to overwinter.

Steve_G


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## MDS (Jan 9, 2011)

You sure those are swarm cells and not supercedure cells? Hate to see you remove the final hope of replacing a missing or damaged queen. There is a high supercedure rate for packaged queens. Never leave a hive without at least eggs because it can often be hard to introduce a new queen.

If you do remove the queen cells make sure you move eggs in from another hive just in case. If they start to build new queen cells with the eggs then they want to raise a new queen and I'd say let them do it. Don't try this in late summer because they would not build up numbers and honey in time for winter, and chances of getting them to take a caged queen after the nector flow is hard.

Short answer might be if you see no eggs and no queen then leave the queen cells alone and let them do their thing.


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## Steve_G (Apr 24, 2011)

They're supercedure cells, I alway's get the 2 names confused.

I take it, that I should leave them alone for a few weeks to let nature take it's course?

Steve_G


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## fish_stix (May 17, 2009)

Yes!!!


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

Sounds like they have things under control.


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## Steve_G (Apr 24, 2011)

Update,

Did a full inspection this morning.
No brood only open cells, there are 2 supersedure cells (still open) w/lava being tended to.
Do I purchase a new queen and kill off the 2 supersedure cells, or let the bees try and raise their own? During my last inspection back in early june there was 5 supersedure cells, and I have no idea if they hatched or what happended.

Steve_G


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## Desert Viking Ranch (Mar 1, 2011)

At this point my advice would be to monitor, but leave things "bee". If there is larva in the supercedure cells, then they are raising a new queen for one reason or another (she is gone, dead, hurt, failing, bad attitude  etc.)

How is your other hive doing? If it is strong then I would use it as a fall back and swap out a frame of brood if things go bad.


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## Steve_G (Apr 24, 2011)

2nd hive is doing quite well.
I guess no never really know bees, the 2nd hive was the smaller of the two before I lost the queen in the 1st. hive.

Steve_G


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## Grant (Jun 12, 2004)

Steve_G said:


> Update, Do I purchase a new queen and kill off the 2 supersedure cells, or let the bees try and raise their own? Steve_G


It depends on what you want this year, what your purpose is, and what you are expecting. If this were my hive, I might locate and buy a single, mated queen. When you buy one queen they are very expensive with the postage, and many times these queens will end up being superseded as well. Then you have the risks of introduction and acceptance, but I want honey so I want a queen to introduce that will get my hive rocking ASAP. Then I need to hope there's more summer left to make honey.

But since you say you are just wanting bees, let the bees continue on these supersedure cells, then hope for the best during that time lag that it takes for the new queen to mate and settle down.

Somewhere along the way you have to trust the bees to do what they've been doing for a million years. Most of the time, they get it right. And being in your first year, your best teacher will be the bees.

Grant
Jackson, MO


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## MDS (Jan 9, 2011)

I'm always concerned when there are queen cells, mostly if there might also be a virgin queen in there. Will make things hard in terms of introducing a purchased queen. And I've seen in my observation hive that they will tear down queen cells if they don't need them. My opinion is if it is early enough in the year and you see queen cells let them do their own thing rather than introducing a new queen. Just keep eggs in there from another hive just in case. 

Suppose a lot has to do with how often you check your hive. If you check them often enough to know none of the queens have emerged then can remove the cells and put in a purchased queen. 

Later in the year, after you have waited a long time for a mated queen to start laying with no luck, I'm for combining because it is hard to build up young bees for over wintering from a purchased queen late in the year, even if you can get them to except her.

You can learn a lot about the entire process by staring a nuc with bees and a capped queen cell. How long it takes to get a mated queen, need to add open brood, and build up from a queen cell.

Sorry for the rambling. Myself, if I have capped queen cells this time of year I leave them alone. Earlier in the year if I have capped queen cells that might be swarm cells I move them to a nuc with bees for a new hive. If I am in doubt of it they are swarm cells or supercedure cells I leave them alone.


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## Steve_G (Apr 24, 2011)

Good news, 

I did an inspection this morning and found new brood (various ages) where I had none just a week back, must have a new queen! I could not locate her, but knowing that I now have brood makes me feel like a 5 year old at Christmas.

Thanks for all of the advice, it's been an interesting 1st. year.

Steve_G


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