QCs after a shook swarm

[witchcraft]

I completed a shook swarm on one of my hives two weeks ago, they now have eggs and brood at all stages and have drawn out most of the foundation already.

Today on an inspection there were two capped queen cells on a tiny patch of brood in with the stores towards the end of the brood nest. As there are loads of eggs in the more regularly laid part part of the nest towards the middle I assume the queen is still resident and laying (or has been up until very recently).

Any ideas what is going on - I thought one of the side benefits of a shook swarm was it prevented the swarming urge...

 

[Skyhook]

Could they be due to supercede?

 

[witchcraft]

I hope thats it - but the queen is from July last year so I'd be surprised. I guess I'll watch them. They were on the face of the frame rather than the base so they might have been...

 

[Midland Beek]

Supersedure cells are usually large and well formed. If they were weedy things I would have destroyed them.

 

[oliver90owner]

I hope thats it - but the queen is from July last year so I'd be surprised.

Never be surprised at what bees do. If she laid a few eggs on that frame and then moved closer to the entrance, the bees could have developed queen cells due to a reduction in queen pheromone. Don't think for a minute that a year-old queen is automatically a good one still; some are superceded after only a few weeks or even less. They can get damaged (sometimes by the human activity?), or were less than optimally mated.

That said, I would be taking precautions, to avoid a problem down the line. You have three colonies so should have enough bees to incubate the better of the cells, away from your 'good-at-present' queen; destroy the other cell and see what happens.

Many just don't bother with 'whats and maybes' - they would just requeen with a fresh, laying queen at the earliest opportunity. People with just a couple hives are not so likely to do that and some want to persevere with a queen at all costs.

Choice, choices. Your choice here.

Regards, RAB

 

[witchcraft]

Thanks Oliver - sage advice. Thanks everyone, I'll report back

Mark