Supersedure cell nightmares of introduced queens

[TryingToLetThemBee]

Can anyone tell me what to do, please? I am at my wits' end and running out of time as I am taking my post-season break at the end of next week.

I have introduced grafted queens that are doing BRILLIANTLY in my opinion. I expect a few supersedure cells as the unrelated bees object but in two colonies it has gone on for weeks and I am taking down four or so a week. Do I just give in and let them get on with it? All my worst queens have been late-season mated so I am really reluctant but what are my alternatives? Pop the new Qs into nucs and try again in September? Help!

 

[Finman]

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Buy ready queens

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[TryingToLetThemBee]

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Buy ready queens

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Same thing happens. It's politics not fitness.

 

[beeno]

Pop the new Qs into nucs and try again in September? Help!

If the timeline works that's what I would do. They are probably swarm cells in practice.

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

If the timeline works that's what I would do. They are probably swarm cells in practice.

Yes; they tend to swarm out the old queens I notice. Once the new one has emerged, though, not on sealing. Nightmare.

 

[oliver90owner]

Same thing happens. It's politics not fitness.

It will only be for about a couple of months ... at most. Bees from eggs will be low in numbers after that time, most will be new genes and all brood emerging after three weeks will be new genes.

It is likely the bees do know best.

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

It will only be for about a couple of months ... at most. Bees from eggs will be low in numbers after that time, most will be new genes and all brood emerging after three weeks will be new genes.

It is likely the bees do know best.

Thanks RAB: the trouble is I am out of time as taking a post-season break from a week tomorrow. (Well-behaved colonies are now closed for the duration essentially). I guess I can take the "bees know best" view if they insist on superseding; less faff than popping the Qs out and in again. Although, lots of old bees will die while I am away: hmm.... A learning moment in any case. And if they feck it up I have plenty of reserve nucs.

 

[oliver90owner]

Erm! Wouldn’t lots of old bees die if you were not away? Probably exactly the same number? If they supercede, the old queen will, most likely, still be there with the virgin, and longer.

You don’t say how long your break will be. I class a break as no more than a week, otherwise it is definitely a holiday. It would seem that you need to arrange your queen rearing a little earlier in the season? A queen mated in early June would be well past this ‘problem’ period by now. That also would mean more colony strength before any wasp problems, too.

It is not a matter of ‘late season mating’. There will be plenty of drones around in September and it is you that has made the mating times that much later, after all. Lots of colonies supercede in August/September, so I can’t imagine what makes you think later supercedure causes mating problems before October (weather permitting). The queens only require a couple of consecutive warm days for mating. Not really any different than early summer mating in the UK.

So what, if the mating is a little less than perfect (when is it ever perfect?). Supercedure , or queen change next season is not that much of a problem.

Perhaps thinking about how you rear your queens might help you out in future seasons. For one, raising queens in nucs and uniting with bees later can be beneficial regarding queen rejection rates.

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

For one, raising queens in nucs and uniting with bees later can be beneficial regarding queen rejection rates.

That's exactly how this situation has arisen. I reared Qs in May/June, cropped producing colonies in June/July (last crop 17 July) and immediately united in the nucs with new Qs. So here we are 3 weeks later with basically unrelated workers and Qs. I am gone for 3 weeks.