Nobody really knows if the queen initiates her own supersedure or if the hive bees take charge. I have come to the opinion that the queen's state regulates all the internal changes from swarming and supersedure to the semi-diapause that descends on the bees in fall. Obviously, she responds to environmental cues such as hive condition, weather, etc. 


Root  Put forth that it was from lack of pheromones from newly emerging bees(nurse bee pheromones) and points out that adding a frame of hatching brood would stop many good queens from be superceded.

I pretty sure he mentioned takeing those package queens about to be superceded and making splits and found out there was nothing wrong with them. (may have been someone else)


I have found the same,  when I see a new package superceding,  if the pattern is good,  I tear down the queen cells and as soon as there is hatching brood, they seem content.  Some times it bites as there was a reason other than that,  but it’s a 1-2% problem.   

Most seasons I see less than 5% problems with queens,  on the other hand established hives queens get superceded much more often. (these would be 2nd year hives so its not apples to apples)

Wyatt Magnum did a great article on the history of shipping bees last Nov 2013. It was interesting because that was the first time I advertised the plastic shipping cages at the same time he wrote about the history of the wood,  without either of us knowing about the other. ( I haven't found it online,  and he declined to let me post it)

Charles

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