>In the old days beekeepers would spend hundreds of hours cutting out queen cells in hopes of preventing swarming. They finally realized that it doesn't work. In fact, back in 1974 my mentor gave me the best reason NOT to cut out queen cells. He said you will go through and cut out all the big nice ones, but you will miss some runty little cell in some remote corner of the hive -- and that will be the next queen in that hive. 


Came across this same point this morning:

"[Destroying queen cells] is a manipulation frequently required, the purpose for which is utterly frustrated if a single cell is missed.   The worst cell to leave is that undersized ill-placed cell which the bees so readily cover without seeming to do so"

-Wedmore, "A manual of beekeeping" (1932), paragraph 1364.

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