Queen cells in brood area. Cell base needs to be closely examined to determine if origination is from horizontal worker cell or from queen cup base (as in supersedure or swarming queen cells). Can be most readily observed after colony queen is removed by beekeeper or when the queen suddenly dies (by pest, pesticide, or beekeeper accidently killing queen).
A colony of honey bees that has had the queen removed for whatever reason will turn horizontal worker larval cells into vertically-oriented queen cells, if there are larvae young enough to do it. These are called "emergency queen cells." Usually there are several queen cells prepared, and these can occur on several frames where there was brood of appropriate age. They may be difficult to see because of the mantel of workers covering them when frame is first removed.
When a virgin queen emerges from one of the cells she will seek out additional emergency queen cells and chew a hole in the side of each, leading to their being destroyed by worker bees. See chewed hole in queen cell.
Queen rearing during swarming or supersedure (which form queen cells from a queen cup, while an emergency queen cell originates from a horizontal worker cell).
Burlew R. 2012. How to know a swarm cell from a supersedure cell. Honey Bee Suite. Accessed 2023. https://www.honeybeesuite.com/is-it-a-swarm-cell-or-a-supersedure-cell/
Collison C. 2017. A Closer Look: Queen Cells and Rearing Stimuli. Bee Culture. Accessed 2023. https://www.beeculture.com/a-closer-look-13/
