CUT THAT FALL QUEEN CELL — LOSE THE HIVE

Finding a queen cell in fall can make a beekeeper reach for the hive tool immediately. But destroying that cell without checking the colony may remove the only replacement queen the bees have left. In this video, we explain why honey bees raise queen cells late in the season and how to tell the difference between swarm preparation, emergency queen replacement, and quiet supersedure. A fall queen cell does not always mean the colony is preparing to swarm. It may mean the workers have detected a weak, injured, poorly mated, or failing queen. You’ll learn what to inspect before removing any queen cell: How many queen cells are present? Where are the queen cells located on the comb? Are there fresh eggs or young larvae? Is the brood pattern solid or badly scattered? Is the old queen still laying normally? Are enough mature drones available for a new queen to mate? Is the season still warm enough for successful mating flights? We also examine why seeing the old queen does not automatically mean the colony should keep her. During supersedure, the old queen and her replacement may remain in the hive at the same time. Cutting the new queen cell can leave the colony dependent on an old queen that may disappear only days later. The video also covers late-season queen mating, queen development time, damaged brood patterns, Varroa mite pressure, reserve nucleus colonies, introducing a purchased mated queen, and combining weak colonies before winter. Questions answered in this video: Should you destroy queen cells found in fall? Can bees replace their queen before winter? What is a supersedure queen cell? How can you distinguish swarm cells from supersedure cells? Why are queen cells sometimes found while the queen is still present? How long does a new queen take to emerge and begin laying? Can a virgin queen mate successfully in autumn? What should you do when a colony has queen cells but no eggs? When should you introduce a mated queen? When is combining colonies safer than waiting for a new queen? A queen cell is evidence, not a diagnosis. Before cutting it, read the brood, the queen, the season, and the condition of the entire colony.