In a message dated 5/2/99 9:29:08 AM Eastern Daylight Time, [log in to unmask]
writes:

>  Does the presence of these supersedure cells mean that my hive is not
>  queenright?
>            (I have not yet seen the queen.  I'm new and still clumsy, I may
>  have accidentally squished her, or I may just not have seen her.)
>
>         Should I requeen the hive, or let another supersedure cell form?
>

    Amy, this is quite common in packages, or after requeening a hive. With
all our best efforts, queens are not always fully mated. I've seen many
reared queens fail in midsummer. The bees may know this, and they are trying
to fix it now, while she still has fertile eggs.

    My suggestion:  trust the bees. Help them do what they want to do, don't
fight them and you will have a better chance of success.

    In my own beekeeping, I intervene only when the bees are failing (didn't
successfully requeen), or when their action will obviously be detrimental to
my goals (swarm preparation.  Where there is doubt about successfull queen
mating, I give them a cell or a frame of brood that has eggs (a good reason
why newbies should always begin with 2 hives, not one). Where they are
preparing to swarm, they are bent upon reproduction and I just don't feel
it's worth fighting, so I split the hive. Then, with their reproduction
accomplished, they get back to normal work.

    As far as accidental "squishing the queen," make sure you pull an outer
frame first (she's less likely to get rolled), and wean yourself from gloves
ASAP (they'll make you clumsy).

   Good luck on your new venture. May your flowers be full of nectar, and
your bees in condition to get it.......

[log in to unmask]     Dave Green  Hemingway, SC  USA
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