When a bee colony raises a new queen to replace the existing queen, the replacement may not always be successful. Colonies raise new queens in swarming, to supersede the existing queen, or in an emergency. When developing queen cells are found, it is important to diagnose what might be happening.
Swarming is colony reproduction. The factors that trigger a colony to swarm are not well understood. By the time the beekeeper realizes a colony is preparing to swarm, it may be too late to take remedial measures. Bees prepare up to three weeks for the actual swarming from their parent colony. We recognize the bees are preparing when we see several developing queen cells in the brood nest area of the colony.
In swarming, the mated colony queen lays fertilized eggs in several to many queen cups, often those on the margin of frames or comb, over a several-day period. Beekeepers need to look at the margins of comb (along bottom bar), along the sides of the comb, or where there are breaks in the solid comb, to see the developing queen cells. (In contrast, in supersedure fewer eggs are placed in queen cups, with cups selected from the face of comb.)
As the queen cells develop, the queen reduces egg laying and begins to lose body weight, eventually losing up to half her body weight. Swarm emergence with the original queen is anywhere from 1 to 2 days prior to virgin queen emergence from one or more cappedcapping:
the covering that bees add over comb cells containing fully ripened honey or to cap brood that has reached the pupal stage; bee bread cells are not capped
swarm queen cells. Weather conditions might lead to an earlier departure or, more commonly, may be delay swarm emergence. When weather is unfavorable, several mature queens, ready to emerge, are imprisoned in their cells.
Swarms will occur when there are abundant bees and resources for bees to split their colony. Thus, swarming is done in the spring. The swarm itself is a temporary bivouacbivouac:
a temporary cluster of swarming honey bees intermediate between leaving home and finding a new nest cavity
cluster of bees that left their parent colony along with the original queen. Scout beesscout bees:
worker bees that search for pollen, nectar, water, propolis and, during swarming, suitable nesting sites
leave the cluster to search for a new homesite. Beekeepers frequently capture swarms to establish a new hive. Capturing a swarm is how many beekeepers begin beekeeping.
A bee colony may replace an older mated queen via supersedure. In supersedure there is no colony division. Supersedure is thought to be initiated by the queen who will lay fertilized eggs in queen cups. A small number of cells are started, and the queen cups are more likely to be within the brood area on the face of the comb. Often few supersedure cells (<3-5) reach the cappedcapping:
the covering that bees add over comb cells containing fully ripened honey or to cap brood that has reached the pupal stage; bee bread cells are not capped queen cell stage. This contrasts with swarm cells that are usually constructed from queen cups at comb margins and are often numerous (>5). The rearing of a new queen may be aborted once started.
Emergence of a new virgin daughter queen might occur without the death of the original queen of the colony. This then results in a mother-daughter queen colony and no brood break in worker development during the replacement of the original (mother) queen with a daughter. In other instances, the old queen is killed by her daughters at or just before emergence of a replacement queen (efficient supersedure).
In the absence of a queen, a colony initially will seek to use worker brood to rear several emergency queens. The emergency queen cells are horizontal worker cells modified to hang vertically. Thus, they are on the surface of comb. Usually there are many, not all of which are reared until a virgin queen emerges.
It is important to recognize emergency queen cells. The tendency is to destroy developing queen cells; in swarm management it is the common suggestion. But destroying emergency queen cells will leave a colony without brood young enough to convert into a queen, and the colony will be hopelessly queenless. Laying workers will develop in the absence of queen pheromones and pheromones from developing brood. Such colonies are likely doomed as they are extremely difficult to requeenrequeen:
to replace a queen; old queens are often removed and replaced by a ripe queen cell or by a mated queen via an introduction cage
, and recover to the queenrightqueenright:
a colony with a healthy, worker egg-laying queen; the opposite of a queenless colony
condition.
There are a number of options beekeepers can elect to replace queens. Choices begin with determining if a queen needs to be replaced. When the bees replace their queen via swarming or supersedure or must do a replacement via emergency queen rearing when the queen is removed, injured or lost, the beekeeper can intervene. The closer a queen cell is toward emergence the less chance there is of success at intervention. Of course, beekeeping is about anticipation, so queen replacementqueen replacement:
removal of an old queen and installation of a new queen in a bee colony
management by the beekeeper might occur prior to the bees initiating the replacement.
Some beekeepers plan to requeenrequeen:
to replace a queen; old queens are often removed and replaced by a ripe queen cell or by a mated queen via an introduction cage
on an annual or every other year basis. Planned requeeningrequeen:
to replace a queen; old queens are often removed and replaced by a ripe queen cell or by a mated queen via an introduction cage
can occur anytime of the year but is usually done in early fall. New queens are introduced to queenless bees via a queen cage (see Queens confined in cages).
Queens can be introduced to full sized colonies or to smaller units for subsequent introduction to full sized colonies. Replacement begins with removal of the existing queen. Then, making up a smaller sized queenless unit (a nucnucleus:
also called a "nuc;" a smaller colony of bees usually with three to five frames. Nucs are splits (divides) made from larger colonies. Nucs are purchased as a method of starting a new colony or as a resource to use to bolster weaker colonies. See more information about nucs <a href="index.cfm?pageID=3093#standard">here</a> and <a href="index.cfm?pageID=3417#nuc">here</a>.
colony) and first introducing a new queen to this smaller worker population improves introduction success. The smaller unit can be combined (united) to the larger unit via the newspaper method after the larger unit is itself dequeened prior to uniting. Finding a queen in a large colony can be difficult, particularly for inexperienced beekeepers or if the colony to be requeenedrequeen:
to replace a queen; old queens are often removed and replaced by a ripe queen cell or by a mated queen via an introduction cage
is defensive, in poor health, or populous.
Halting a colony already in the process of requeeningrequeen:
to replace a queen; old queens are often removed and replaced by a ripe queen cell or by a mated queen via an introduction cage
is difficult. For one thing, the bees are already into the process by the time the beekeeper detects their preparations by finding developing queen cells. Management options include smashing or removing queen cells and then seeking to change conditions in the colony rearing queen cells. Removing brood (making nucs or splits) from the colony building cells and then reorganizing the brood area is usually necessary. There are a number of management techniques to do this. All introductory books and basic information on beekeeping describe such managements practices.
On occasion a cappedcapping:
the covering that bees add over comb cells containing fully ripened honey or to cap brood that has reached the pupal stage; bee bread cells are not capped queen cell might be seen with a hole in the side. Looking inside, the pupae may be partially or completely removed. Chewed cells with the hole in the side remain for some time following queen death. This sign is not normal. Successful queen emergence is via the cell tip. The virgin queen chews the tip of her pupal cell and for a short period following emergence, the nearly completely removed cell tip will hang open.
Side holes are due to virgin queens destroying potential rivals. When a virgin queen emerges, she locates other developing queen cells (her potential rival virgin queens) and eliminates them one at a time by chewing a hole in the side of the queen cell. Some assert she also then stings the occupants, but this has not been clearly documented. What is likely happening is the queen is marking the developing queen cells to signal the workers to remove (cannibalize) the developing queen.
This behavior occurs most frequently during swarming and when numerous emergency queen cells occur in a colony as part of queen replacementqueen replacement:
removal of an old queen and installation of a new queen in a bee colony
. In both instances there will be several queen cells developing started over a several-day period. As with a mated queenrightqueenright:
a colony with a healthy, worker egg-laying queen; the opposite of a queenless colony colony, following queen rearing, a single virgin queen becomes the norm. The first or one of the earliest queens to emerge has the advantage. If more than one queen emerges the virgin queens will fight.
When rearing queen cells in a queenless colony, it is possible to protect developing queen cells with a cell protector cage to prevent queen injury to the side of developing cells (see caged queens).
Virgin queens must successfully mate to become productive mated egg-laying queens. The process of mating has its perils, and queens may not properly mate (see the improperly mated queen fact sheet for details). Virgin queens need perform orientation flights, fly several times over a period of several days to mate and each time return to their correct hive. Queens generally are slow flyers and might more easily be prey for large invertebrates like dragonflies, assassin bugs and insectivorous birds.
Careful removal and handling of frames is a skill to develop. Removing the initial frame from a hive box is especially hazardous for injury or accidental killing of a queen and could lead to more defensive bees if workers are injured in frame removal. For that reason, the edge frame is removed first. Many prefer to remove the frame adjacent to the edge-most frame first since it is often easier to remove, especially since the bees may use excessive propolis cementing the frame adjacent to the hive box. Remove frames slowly to avoid injuring any bees, and inspect frames over the open hive in case the queen falls from the comb.
Replacing frames following hive inspections may also result in queen injury. Manipulations when moving frames from one hive to another and starting a bee colony are also potential instances of injury. By far the greatest likelihood of queen injury or sudden death is when a new queen is introduced (via a cage or directly released from a cage) to a new colony. Handling queens (such as when marking them) might also result in queen injury or the queen fainting.
Shaw W. 2010. There are queen cells in my hive, what should I do? Welsh Beekeepers’ Association. 25 pp. https://wbka.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/wbka-booklet-english-PDF.pdf
Caron DM and Greve C. 1979. Destruction of queen cells placed in queenrightqueenright:
a colony with a healthy, worker egg-laying queen; the opposite of a queenless colony Apis mellifera colonies. Annual Entomological Society of America. 72: 405. link to this paper
Milbrath Meghan. 2020. Working with queen cells. American Bee Journal 160(9): 973-977. https://bluetoad.com/publication/?i=670156&p=37&view=issueViewer and https://bluetoad.com/publication/?m=5417&i=670156&view=articleBrowser&article_id=3741140&ver=html5
Anton K, Boyle N and Grozinger C. 2023. Beekeeping: Cell Builder Basics. PennState Extension. Accessed 2023. https://extension.psu.edu/beekeeping-cell-builder-basics
“Queen Bees Battle to the Death”. Facebook, uploaded by Animal Planet, 28 August 2018. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=308758423003650
