hives full of queen cells

[beeyhz]

Hi Folks,
I have two hives (1st spring with them) and checked them 12 days ago and they were pretty full so I added undrawn honey suppers.  I checked them today and they are full of capped queen cells.  I'm think of doing a walk away split on both hives.  If I got this figured right I need to find the old queen and and keep the queen cells in the half without the queen.

Do I need to move the spits to another yard?  I have a place about 3.5 km (just over 2 miles) straight line.  Do you think this is far enough if I have to move?

Thanks
Mike

[Rugerbob]

Pics of the queen cells might help Mike \

[beeyhz]

I can try and get pictures but won't be able to until Saturday.  When I say full I mean there is 10-12 or 1-3 on the inner frames of the top chamber.  almost all are swarm cells being on the bottom of the frames.  One frame has a cluster of 3 in the bottom third on the side of the frame definitely queen cells and not capped drone.  Hope that makes more sense. 

I'm wondering how long it takes from capped queen cells to swarming?  We have had some very cool weather for the last week or so and yesterday afternoon and today the weather got really nice.  I am almost thinking that they may have swarmed all ready given the number of bees in the hive.  but 12 days ago there was no queen cups with eggs or larvae in them.

I was "hoping" to stay with just the two hives for the year and go for honey production but that might of been a little naive. 

If I want honey production what do you think about the walk away splits and have 4 single chamber hives.  Should still be able to get some honey out of them for this year.  I see you are from Nova Scotia as well.

[Green bee]

I had a similar situation with a hive and I split mine. I pulled the queen and put her with the split I made. I left the queen cells in the original hive hoping they will raise a queen and settle down. My big concern now is them swarming anyway. I guess time will tell. I wasn't so lucky with another one I had because they swarmed and I lost what I considered a good queen. But I requeened that hive with a Wayne's bee queen. I am hoping all goes well now for a bit. If not I am selling everything thing I have and moving to Nova Scotia  to be Perrys neighbor and aggravate the fire out of him Look out Perry here I come

[Perry]

I had a similar situation with a hive and I split mine. I pulled the queen and put her with the split I made. I left the queen cells in the original hive hoping they will raise a queen and settle down. My big concern now is them swarming anyway. I guess time will tell. I wasn't so lucky with another one I had because they swarmed and I lost what I considered a good queen. But I requeened that hive with a Wayne's bee queen. I am hoping all goes well now for a bit. If not I am selling everything thing I have and moving to Nova Scotia  to be Perrys neighbor and aggravate the fire out of him Look out Perry here I come

Green Bee - Love to have ya as a neighbour, but no setting up swarm traps in any of my yards, not cool!

beeyhz - queen cells are capped on day 10 and the old girl leaves with the prime swarm on or around day 14, 2 days before the queen cells hatch. Find her as previously suggested and move her and a bunch of bees. If you can't find her, might as well make up a nuc with a few cells as well, let them raise a queen in case your parent colony fails to do so. Just cover your bases.

[beeyhz]

Thanks Green Bee and Perry.

Follow on question.  When the queen starts to slim down to swarm does she stop laying eggs a few days before she swarms or does she lay eggs right up to swarming day?  Reason I ask is when I was going through the hive today I didn't see any fresh eggs so she wasn't laying in the last three days from what I can tell.  I was getting a little nervous because the queen cells are so delicate and didn't want to destroy them so I didn't go through the bottom chamber. 

[Perry]

I have found eggs in hives that have just swarmed, but they may well be 2 or 3 days old, so it's hard to tell.