Swarm cells vs. supersedure cells
Opinions from around the world seem to be pretty much in agreement on this one:
Swarm cells commonly are found on or near the bottom bars of the combs in the upper brood chamber(s), whereas supersedure queen cells generally are found on the face of the comb.
Publication 1817
Extension Service of Mississippi State University
Dr. Clarence H. Collison, Head and Professor of Entomology
http://msucares.com/pubs/pub1817.htm
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Quite often, the bees will want to supersede their queen, which necessitates the construction of queen cells in order to produce a new queen. The difficulty is that a supersedure cell looks exactly the same as a swarming cell, the only difference being in the quantity, and the location. If the colony is superseding, it is usually content with four or five queen cells, but if they want to swarm, then twenty or more is not unusual. Also, swarming cells tend to be positioned on the periphery of the comb, across the top, down the sides, and more often, across the bottom. Supersedure cells on the other hand, are usually located in the centre of the comb, where an area of worker cells have been cleared to make way for them. These supersedure cells should be left alone, as a new replacement queen denotes a sound future for the colony.
The Somerset Beekeepers' Assoc.
http://www.somersetbeekeepers.org.uk/Swarmcontrol.html
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Queen cells are of three types: swarm cells, supersedure cells and emergency cells. Swarm queen cells are built along the lower edge of the comb, often in large numbers: as many as 20 cells of various ages may be seen in a colony. Supersedure queen cells, fewer in number, are generally about the same age and built perpendicular to the comb surface; they are usually formed from old, darker wax than swarm queen cells which, built at times of high food availability, usually consist of whiter, newly-secreted wax.
Beekeeping in Asia
FAO Agricultural Services Bulletin 68/4 Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations Rome, 1990
by Pongthep Akratanakul Bee Research Laboratory
Department of Entomology
Kasetsart University Kamphaeng Saen, Nakhon Pathom Thailand
http://www.fao.org/docrep/x0083e/X0083E03.htm
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Controlling Swarming: What won't work
Some practices supposedly used to prevent or remediate swarming, do little more than delay it. Among these practices are the following:
· clipping one of the queen's wings -- This procedure is often used to mark new queens resulting in a queen that cannot fly. The new queen's left wing is clipped when acquired during odd-numbered years; the right wing when acquired in even-numbered years. This often provides a false sense of confidence due to the fact that the queen cannot fly away with an issuing swarm. When a colony swarms and a clipped queen is forced out of the hive, she cannot fly and generally cannot return. Such a queen is thereby lost. In this case, the swarm returns to the hive and leaves a few days later with a virgin queen. Swarming has been delayed, not prevented.
· removing queen cells -- Cutting out queen cells can delay swarming, but does not reduce the swarming urge. The bees will work diligently to raise another queen until such time as they can do so successfully. Their efforts generally outlast those of the beekeeper and swarming occurs.
· returning a captured swarm to its hive -- Unless the factors that caused the swarming to occur in the first place are corrected, returning a captured swarm to its hive will only be an invitation to further swarming.
from
Controlling Swarming
Copyright 1999 Carl Wenning, Heart of Illinois Beekeepers Association
www.phy.ilstu.edu/~wenning/HIBA/bkcourse/swarming.pdf
"If I were to meet a man perfect in the entire science and art of beekeeping, and were allowed from him answers to just one question, I would ask for the best and easiest way to prevent swarming." Dr. C. C. Miller
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