Cutouts with Swarm cells

[Grandma_DOG]

Swarm cells found during cutouts are a good thing, IMHO. They are insurance that even if I miss the queen, I've got rapid backup on the way.

The cutout tramatizes the hive and should put an end to swarming urgest, right? I was thinking about this the other day after I remove a hive just about to swarm. Is there any risk that as the swarm cells hatch in the new cutout box that they might swarm? Or does the dominant queen do in the unlucky foes in a dastardly fashion? Any chance hatching queens might provoke swarming?

[JP]

A cut out should put swarming out of their minds, for at least a good while while they are trying to recover and build up.

Queen cells are good insurance if you haven't gotten a queen but brood comb with eggs and very young larvae are the best insurance.

Did you see my cut out post where I opened three queen cells that had workers sealed inside the cells?

If I had not caught any queens in that removal and relied on those three queen cells, the hive would have been queenless if no eggs or young larvae were offered.

This was the first time I have seen this, albeit Alan Bukley says its quite common for workers to get sealed inside queen cells after virgins have hatched out.

Workers apparently will go in the hatched out cells and will get sealed in by the others.

If I had not seen this with my own eyes...


...JP

[Kathyp]

wow.  you'd think they' back on out before that happened!

[JP]

wow.  you'd think they' back on out before that happened!

I didn't think this even possible but two were alive and one dead.


...JP

[hardwood]

My biggest surprise is the vast number of after swarms I've been picking up. Three in the last week! I've been housing them in deep langs over an excluder but one (the largest +/- 5 lbs) absconded just this morning. I never saw this queen and wouldn't have thought that she was a virgin in such a large swarm.

I did a cut out yesterday that the home owner said moved in about 2 weeks ago. It had 5-6 nice plate sized fresh white combs and tons of bees, but not a sign of eggs or larvae....couldn't find the queen either. I'm giving them a few weeks to see if things change, otherwise I'll combine with one of the smaller recent swarms.

I spoke with Jerry at Dadant when I was there on Fri. and he's seeing the same. He seems to think that AHB genetics might be the cause.

Another cut out from a week ago (from a shed) showed the same. This one was an established colony...but no brood whatsoever. 15 or 16 hatched queen cells though. I spoke with a friend who had been there the week before and removed two separate swarms from the same citrus tree 30' from the shed.

Scott

[D Coates]

I had three capped queen cells that I opened from a hive that had swarmed.  In each of them were 1dead worker.  There was no doubt they were workers.  However the cocoon was not disturbed at the tip, indicating to me the workers were in there from the get go.  There appeared to be no indication that the workers tried to emerge.  Not sure why they were dead either.

[Jahjude]

How was the worker positioned,Head down??Just wondering if he may have went in and got capped