Captured Swarm with Queen Cells

[Tremyfro]

Last week we caught a small swarm...covered about 3 seams. I didn't think we got the queen as they were all over the front of the nuc by the evening.
So we scooped them up and put them in the nuc and carried them to the Bee Yard. The next day we let them out and they seemed happy enough...quiet. I still felt unsure so I put a frame which had eggs in it in with them.
Today....a week later there are quite a few queen cells on the frame.
So what do I do??
Logic tells me that there are not enough bees/stores for them to swarm....but bees are capricious wee beasties....
So do I reduce the number of cells to one likely one or just wait it out and let them decide....whether the first virgin out kills the rest or takes off into the wild blue yonder?
Not met up with this one before.

 

[Erichalfbee]

3 seams? Save yourself some work and leave them alone. Have a look in three weeks. Feed?

 

[MartinL]

3 seams? Save yourself some work and leave them alone. Have a look in three weeks. Feed?

Just leave them too it and see what happens.

 

[Anduril]

3 seams. So we scooped them up and put them in the nuc and carried them to the Bee Yard.

with Erichalfbee, the queen may have been damaged when you scooped them up. I have left 6 cells in a similar situation and they didn't swarm.

 

[Tremyfro]

Fab...thanks for that...I was thinking along those lines myself. There were a few more bees in there today as the frame I gave them had some sealed brood on it. I have fed them...which they have taken down...I made some more syrup today so will feed again. I hadn't intended looking in them today...well except for checking that they were taking the syrup. Then I remembered that I had given them some eggs. I will be leaving them to it now.
Many thanks.

 

[beeno]

Nutrition is everything in queen development. I will not even let a six frame nuc raise a queen.

 

[Anduril]

Nutrition is everything in queen development. I will not even let a six frame nuc raise a queen.

Not always the case, the 5 frame nuc (not 14x12) produced one of my best queens, she gave me wall to wall brood and was superseded in her fourth year. Tremyfro's swarm will have a plentiful supply of nurse bees.

 

[Tremyfro]

Not always the case, the 5 frame nuc (not 14x12) produced one of my best queens, she gave me wall to wall brood and was superseded in her fourth year. Tremyfro's swarm will have a plentiful supply of nurse bees.

Well it may not be the best queen...but it will be the only one they get. I'm still waiting for my 2 queens I ordered...supposed to be April...now may....
However they are destined for two other colonies...if I can find their queens.
I've got 3 nucs and 2 colonies...all awaiting queens.
I've been offered an out apiary...where there are acres of Himalayan balsam...so I hope to take some bees there next month...so they had best get themselves sorted with queens. A good nectar flow should help the colonies to grow well.