>But an even bigger question is in regard to supersedure cells.  What
percentage are created from worker larvae, floated to the top of the cell
to make an "emergency" cell, vs. those created from an egg laid by the
queen in a natural queen cell cup?

We seem to use the term 'supersedure' rather loosely to describe what I see as two quite different processes.

The first is what some call natural, perfect or true supersedure, when an old and (presumably) failing queen is replaced by the colony in what might be called an orderly and under-control way.  The queen lays an egg in a cell that is discrete, like a swarm cell, but is usually placed either on the face of the comb or high up near the side.  These cells are usually few in number and generally large, producing a good quality queen that mates and then lives side-by-side with her mother, although the mother usually, but not always, disappears during the following winter.

The second process seems to be more hurried and happens in response to a more urgent need to replace a queen, e.g. if she has been damaged or died; I would suggest that we often do not know the reason.  In this case emergency cells are produced by enlarging worker cells, but can these ever be called supersedure cells?

Best wishes

Peter 
52°14'44.44"N, 1°50'35"W

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