# Swarm Newbie - At Critical Stage w/ Queen Piping: What do I do??



## dmpower (Nov 7, 2010)

If the hive swarmed last week this may be the queen they've been waiting for.
" New queens are raised and the hive may swarm as soon as the queen cells are capped and before the new virgin queens emerge from their queen cells." good old wikepedia
It looks like they are on track but I'm sure others will pipe in


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## ryansturmer (May 27, 2013)

I have read something to the effect that the piping is an indicator that another swarm is coming. Is that true? Is there anything I can do to prevent it? (Or should I?)

What should be done about these other cells? Am I expecting the first queen to go sting the others to death? Or if they emerge, what is likely to happen?

*Edit:*
I have also seen recommendations to the effect that in order to prevent swarming, I can go ahead and move the frame with the unopened queen cells into another hive box and presto! New hive. I would be concerned however that the workers I move to my empty box might return to their old box. Also, if the queen from my original box had intended to swarm, might she do so anyway, even if I had eliminated her competition?

*Edit Again:*
Something else that colors the situation is that all the queen cells I'm talking about are supersedure type cells. They definitely swarmed last week, but the cell types don't indicate that.

-R


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## Lburou (May 13, 2012)

ryansturmer said:


> -snip-I can go ahead and move the frame with the unopened queen cells into another hive box and presto! New hive. I would be concerned however that the workers I move to my empty box might return to their old box. Also, if the queen from my original box had intended to swarm, might she do so anyway, even if I had eliminated her competition?
> 
> -R


Yes, you can split the hive now. Leave only the two best cells on the frame for the new hive, destroy the others. The nurse bees will stay and the foragers will go back home (that's okay if the new colony has some stores in reserve -like a frame of honey and some pollen). If there are no more queen cells in the original hive, they won't swarm until they make more -hopefully, they will decide not to swarm by that time. The bees decide to swarm, not the queen. HTH


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## ryansturmer (May 27, 2013)

So most of the queen cells in the old hive are on a single frame, and that's the frame where the queen seems to be spending most of her time. Should I pluck her off there and stick her on another frame? And when I move the frame, how many other frames should I take with it? I have a whole extra super with honey and pollen, but I expect I probably want to take a brood frame or two from the old hive (including some drones?) Is it correct that I should leave *no* queen cells in the old hive?


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## Lburou (May 13, 2012)

It is important to know where your queen is and make her location your choice. The more frames you start a hive with the faster they will get to full speed. Of course, the more frames you take, the slower the donor hive will get back to full speed. 

Choose according to your own priorities, there isn't much right or wrong about it. I would leave the queen in the old hive, then take the frame with the cells on it and destroy all but the two best ones. Take care not to disturb the two remaining cells by rough handling. Then, add a frame with honey and pollen with another frame of brood. Then, check the location of the queen again to be sure. Reduce the entrance of both colonies (I like to use hardware cloth so they will still have enough air).


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## ryansturmer (May 27, 2013)

Going to try this today if they haven't swarmed. As of last night, there were two queens out and wandering around. One of them was piping, the other was hanging out above the top-board of the hive (maybe kicked out by her sister?)

I guess the queen that's piping is probably the one I want to keep. There are still several unhatched (as of last night)

We'll see how this goes!


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## ryansturmer (May 27, 2013)

FWIW:

I reopened the hive today. No swarm, and no more queens have hatched. Moved a frame with two healthy looking queen cells into an empty box. Moved another frame full of brood, and yet another with drone brood, and another with honey and pollen. Had a super from last season with a bunch of honey and pollen, so I gave them that too. Gonna put a feeder jar on tomorrow when I refill the other two hive's jars. Maybe a pollen patty too, though they don't seem to need it. They have, maybe a whole side of one frame full of drone brood cells, and maybe a side and a half of worker brood. Cross your fingers, everyone!

-R


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