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Beekeeping in Northern Climates <br />)LJXUH(PSW\TXHHQFHOOFXSVRIWHQ <br />called “play cups.” <br />,WFDQEHGLI¿FXOWWRGLIIHUHQWLDWHDPRQJTXHHQFHOOVFRQVWUXFWHGIRU <br />imminent swarming, supersedure, or due to an emergency. In Minnesota, <br />swarm preparations normally occur in late May or early June and the <br />colony will be very crowded with bees. The queen slowly stops laying <br />HJJVEHIRUHVZDUPLQJVRWKHEHHNHHSHUPD\RUPD\QRWREVHUYHHJJV <br />When colonies have the impulse to swarm and many queen cells are <br />SUHVHQWLWLVXVXDOO\WRRODWHIRUWKHEHHNHHSHUWRSUHYHQWWKHFRORQ\IURP <br />swarming. The queen cells often will be located on the face or along the <br />lower edge of the wax combs, where the bees have space to construct <br />these vertically hanging cells within the crowded nest. Our management <br />SUDFWLFHVHQFRXUDJHEHHNHHSHUVWRGLYLGHFRORQLHVEHIRUHWKHFRORQ\ <br />builds swarm cells. <br />A supersedure event can happen any time from April through September. <br />The old queen is usually present and laying eggs. Sometimes the <br />HJJOD\LQJSDWWHUQRIWKHROGTXHHQLVKDSKD]DUGDQGWKHFRORQ\PD\ <br />EHZHDN2WKHUWLPHVKHUHJJOD\LQJSDWWHUQVHHPVDGHTXDWHWRWKH <br />EHHNHHSHUEXWDSSDUHQWO\QRWWRWKHEHHV'XULQJVXSHUVHGXUHEHHV <br />construct queen cells both on the face and lower edge of the combs. <br />In contrast, there will be no eggs present in the nest during emergency <br />TXHHQUHDULQJDQGWKHZRUNHUVZLOOUHDUQHZTXHHQVIURPH[LVWLQJODUYDH <br />ODLGE\WKHUHFHQWO\GHFHDVHGTXHHQ1HZEHHNHHSHUVRIWHQGHVWUR\ <br />TXHHQFHOOVEHIRUHWKH\NQRZWKHUHDVRQIRUWKHLUSUHVHQFHLQWKHKLYH,I <br />a colony is rearing queens to supersede or replace an old or deceased <br />TXHHQLWLVEHVWWROHWWKHFRORQ\¿QLVKWKHSURFHVV5HPHPEHUWKDWLW <br />PD\WDNHZHHNVIRUDQHZTXHHQWRGHYHORSPDWHDQGEHJLQOD\LQJ <br />HJJV )LJXUH 3DWLHQFHLVUHTXLUHG:LWKH[SHULHQFH\RXFDQOHDUQ <br />ways to requeen your colony yourself. <br /> <br />Words of <br />Wisdom <br />Queen Cells <br />Our advice for new <br />EHHNHHSHUVWKDWKDYH <br />questions about queen cells <br />is:KHQLQGRXEWGRQRWKLQJ. <br />+RQH\EHHVKDYHH[LVWHGRQ <br />HDUWKIRURYHUPLOOLRQ\HDUV <br />They are good at what they <br />GRDQGFDQ¿JXUHRXWWKHVH <br />SX]]OLQJVLWXDWLRQVTXLWHHDVLO\ <br />)LJXUH$ORRNLQWRDTXHHQFHOOZLWKDGHYHORSLQJODUYDÀRDWLQJLQDSRRORIUR\DOMHOO\ <br /> SKRWRE\-XG\*ULHVHGLHFN