> I recently split hives and installed a ripe queen cell immediately while
> making the splits.  Checked back after a few weeks (when the new queen
> should have been mated and laying) and noticed that the hives had
> produced their own emergency cells.

I'd be interested in any insights into this or references as I have been 
having problems with cells and even emergency cells the past several 
years.  I can't recall as many failures in the past.

I had suspected off-gassing from new plastic frames and/or boxes might 
affect the pheromones in the hives, but have been discounting this 
lately.  I am now wondering about the influence of varroa.  I seem to 
recall some mention that hives with varroa above very low levels may 
have trouble raising and mating queens.  I have not done varroa counts 
lately and am scheduled to start shortly, so cannot report on them 
currently.

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