I recently installed a 3# package of bees (4-18-98) into a new hive. The
bees were slow to release the queen, releasing her 6 days after hiving them.
Upon her release she immediately began to lay and created a nice brood
pattern on one half of a frame. Subsequent checks of this hive I could not
locate any additional eggs or other queenly activity. Today I opened the
hive and discovered at least a dozen queen cells on the face of one frame.
Most of the cells contained larvae and one contained a newly laid egg. Now I
do not believe the hive intends to swarm as they still have 4 frames of
foundation they have not touched. This only leaves supersedure. I have not
seen the queen recently however the presence of the new egg in the queen
cell indicates she is still present within the hive.
Should I leave the cells and allow the hive to re- queen themselves? Or
should I destroy all the cells and see if the existing queen improves ?
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