make a nuc of a superseded queen?

[riverbee]

when the hive thinks they have swarmed.  be very careful with the frames that contain the queen cells.   how many cells do  you have with larvae present?

happy dividing, and keep us posted.

[addame]

how many cells do  you have with larvae present?

about 5 or 6.

[barry42001]

Thats not alot of swarm cells, for a swarming event. Maybe your blessed with not so swarmy stock, thats a good thing.

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[riverbee]

okay thanks addame, are these 5 or 6 cells on one frame?  this will help you decide how many nucs you can make out of the original hive.

[apisbees]

Another question: how much time it will take to the queen to start laying again?

Thanks and have a nice day/evening!

30 days from laid egg to mated and laying queen. 25 to 20 days if open larva is in the queen cells. 19 to 11 if capped cells are found and 10 days after the virgin queen emerges from her cell. Give or take, depending on weather for mating flights. Bad weather can delay mating it can also destroy the mating process and if the queen dose start to lay see will fail soon after.

[riverbee]

apis, i think addame was asking when the original queen would resume laying again, but good info for addame on the timeline of the new queen/s.

[apisbees]

Could be Riverbee so I ask why didn't you answer his question? Hard question to give an exzact time for. I have gone in after 4 days enb seen eggs and hatched brood but i have also seen hives with no eggs yet. Generaly 2 or 3 days. It doae take another week or so to build up to full production.

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[riverbee]

addame asked about the original queen apis, i did answer, like you no exact time.....
please go back and read addame's post, #15 from this morning.
my answer post #18.
addame's reply #19.
jack's post # 20.
my reply #21. "when the hive thinks they have swarmed"  that was my exact time, and i would not disagree with your last reply, too many variables.

[LazyBkpr]

Indeed, Variables....     

   I typically do as Jack stated. I move the old queen to a nuc and let her start fresh.. About 20% of the time they will supersede the old queen once she is laying well.. I have been led to believe this is normal activity. A colony that swarms in the wild often replaces the queen not long after swarming. I have found two or more queens in a colony I artificially swarmed.
   I leave two swarm cells in the main hive, and put two swarm cells in each nuc I make from that hive. Some only put one cell in the nuc's. I have had better luck getting viable colonies using two swarm cells per nuc, but your results may vary.

   There is nothing wrong with any method mentioned. It all comes down to the individual beekeeper and what works best for them. Read everyone's opinion/method then decide what you think will work best for you!

[riverbee]

"There is nothing wrong with any method mentioned. It all comes down to the individual beekeeper and what works best for them. Read everyone's opinion/method then decide what you think will work best for you! "

absolutely scott, i have found what works best for me, i don't move queens, and i guess how i learned, is to leave the original  queen in the hive, especially if she's a strong layer and the hive is a strong hive, the divide is light so i wind up with a good laying queen who picks up where she left off, divert swarming and makes a honey crop.  i don't leave any cells in the main hive, these are moved to nucs/divides.

[addame]

Hi all,

I finally had a chance to visit the hive. Almost all the queen cells (5-6) were on the same frame and they are not caped (just with larvae) and one with an egg. There are other queen cells on two other frames but they are under construction.

I have formed a nuc using three frames from this hive (one with the queen cells).

What I have noted that there are a lot of drone brood and I have also the chance to find the queen.

I'm planning to visit the hive again in 2 to 3 days to see if the queen is restarting laying again.

[addame]

one thing I forgot to mention last time: last time I have seen a lot (really a lot) of drone brood (capped and not capped). Is it normal?

[apisbees]

It can be, are the drone that are capped in the larger drone size cells or are they in worker size cells. the population of drones is in part regulated by how many cells that are drone size where the queen has access to lay.

[addame]

It can be, are the drone that are capped in the larger drone size cells or are they in worker size cells.

They are in worker size cells.

[apisbees]

OK caped drones in worker size cells is not a  queen genetic thing as if it was they would get eaten before they were allowed to mature as larva. So it is a laying worker or when the queen lays an egg in the cell she is not dropping a fertilized egg. This is some times seen when a queen gets old and is running out of seamen, or a queen that doesn't get mated because of poor weather and gets very little seamen and runs out quickly. Or could be a development issue with the queen.

[addame]

Hi apisbees,

I have noted today that the queen is still laying eggs in few queen cells. So I also think that it is a worker that is laying those eggs.

Here is the operation I have done today: I put the old queen with two frames in a new nuc (it is her last chance :-) ), and then I placed in the old hive capped queen cells.

[apisbees]

I'm not quite as sentimental as some around here and will pop of a queen if she looks at me cross eyed. But it is a good learning experience. So watch her blossom in to a wonderful queen or to watch fail miserably, either way you will learn from this experiance.