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Beekeeping in Northern Climates <br />Queen cells <br />2XUEHVWDGYLFHIRUQHZEHHNHHSHUVFRQFHUQHGZLWKWKHDSSHDUDQFHRITXHHQFHOOVLV:KHQLQGRXEWGR <br />nothing+RQH\EHHVNQRZEHVWKRZWRWDNHFDUHRIWKHLUTXHHQDQGFRORQ\LVVXHVVRRIWHQLWLVEHVWWROHW <br />WKHPZRUNWKLQJVRXWRQWKHLURZQ2XUQH[WEHVWDGYLFHLVWR¿QGDQH[SHULHQFHGEHHNHHSHUWRKHOS\RX <br />$FRORQ\PD\UHDUDQHZTXHHQXQGHURQHRIWKUHHLPSXOVHV3OHDVHUHIHUWRWKHVHFWLRQRQ³4XHHQ&HOOV´LQ <br />WKHPDLQERG\RIWKLVPDQXDOIRUPRUHGHWDLOVWKHIROORZLQJLVDTXLFNVXPPDU\ <br />Swarming is usually a sign of hive congestion and in nature is the mechanism by which a colony <br />UHSURGXFHV1XPHURXVTXHHQFHOOVDUHIRXQGRIWHQRQWKHHGJHVRIWKHEURRGQHVWLQ0D\RU-XQHDQG <br />WKHFRORQ\ZLOOEHFURZGHGZLWKEHHV<RXPD\RUPD\QRWREVHUYHHJJVEHFDXVHULJKWEHIRUHVZDUPLQJ <br />the queen stops laying eggs. When colonies have the impulse to swarm and many queen cells are <br />observed, destroying queen cells will only delay them from swarming, as the bees simply rear more <br />queens. If a colony has already swarmed, destroying the queen cells leaves them without a new queen. <br />SupersedureRFFXUVZKHQWKHTXHHQLVIDLOLQJWKHVSHUPLQKHUVSHUPDWKHFDLVGHSOHWHGDQG <br />or dead, or she is damaged or diseased. The bees sense that the queen is failing and start raising <br />queens. Supersedure queen cells can be found both on the face and lower edge of the combs. A <br />supersedure event can happen any time from April through September. The original queen is usually <br />SUHVHQWDQGOD\LQJHJJVZKLOHWKHEHHVUHDUDQHZTXHHQ6RPHWLPHVWKHHJJOD\LQJSDWWHUQRIDQROG <br />TXHHQLVKDSKD]DUGDQGWKHFRORQ\PD\EHZHDN2WKHUWLPHVKHUHJJOD\LQJSDWWHUQVHHPVDGHTXDWH <br />WRWKHEHHNHHSHUEXWDSSDUHQWO\QRWWRWKHEHHV <br />EmergencyTXHHQUHDULQJRFFXUVZKHQWKHTXHHQLVVXGGHQO\UHPRYHGRUNLOOHG RIWHQDFFLGHQWDOO\ <br />E\WKHEHHNHHSHU :KHQWKHZRUNHUVVHQVHWKDWWKHLUTXHHQLVPLVVLQJWKH\EHJLQUHDULQJQHZ <br />TXHHQV%HFDXVHLWZLOOEHDIHZGD\VDIWHUWKHLUTXHHQZDVNLOOHGWKDWWKHZRUNHUVVWDUWUHDULQJQHZ <br />TXHHQVWKH\ZLOOXVHWKH\RXQJHVWODUYDHDYDLODEOH DVRSSRVHGWRIUHVKO\ODLGHJJV  <br />1HZEHHNHHSHUVRIWHQGHVWUR\TXHHQFHOOVEHIRUHWKH\NQRZWKHUHDVRQIRUWKHLUSUHVHQFHLQWKHKLYH,Q <br />SDUWLFXODUQHZEHHNHHSHUVRIWHQIUHWRYHUWKHSUHVHQFHRITXHHQFXSV VHH)LJXUH 7KHSUHVHQFHRIWKHVH <br />“play cups” do not indicate that the colony is trying to replace the queen. <br />If a colony is rearing queens to supersede or replace an old or deceased queen, it is best to let the colony <br />FRUUHFWLWVHOIXQWLO\RXDUHPRUHH[SHULHQFHG5HPHPEHUWKDWLWPD\WDNHZHHNVIRUDQHZTXHHQWR <br />GHYHORSPDWHDQGEHJLQOD\LQJHJJV )LJXUH 3DWLHQFHLVUHTXLUHG)LQGDQH[SHULHQFHGEHHNHHSHUDQG <br />DVNIRUKHOS <br />Drone layers <br />A drone layer is a queen that has run out of live sperm in her spermatheca. She lays eggs but, as they are <br />QRWIHUWLOL]HGZLWKLQKHUWKH\DUHKDSORLGDQGGHYHORSLQWRGURQHV$GURQHOD\LQJTXHHQPD\OD\KHUGURQH <br />GHVWLQHGHJJVLQZRUNHUFHOOVRQHHJJSHUFHOOEXWWKHGURQHODUYDRXWJURZVWKHFHOODVKHGHYHORSV7KH <br />bees increase the length of the cells to accommodate the large drone larvae, and when the cells are sealed <br />ZLWKZD[WKH\DUHSXII\UDWKHUWKDQÀXVKZLWKWKHFRPE$OVRWKHEURRGSDWWHUQPD\EHKDSKD]DUGZLWKGURQH <br />EURRGVFDWWHUHGKHOWHUVNHOWHUDURXQGWKHFRPEV <br />There are several remedies for this situation. <br />,IWKHFRORQ\LVSRSXORXVORFDWHDQGUHPRYHWKHGURQHOD\LQJTXHHQDQGLQWURGXFHDQHZTXHHQ <br />XVLQJWKHVORZUHOHDVHPHWKRGGHVFULEHGLQWKHVHFWLRQFDOOHGµ³6ORZ5HOHDVH0HWKRG´IRU,QWURGXFLQJD <br />1HZ4XHHQWRD4XHHQOHVV&RORQ\¶ <br />,IWKHFRORQ\LVZHDNDQGKDVQRVLJQVRIGLVHDVHUHPRYHWKHGURQHOD\LQJTXHHQDQGFRPELQHLWRQ <br />WRSRIDVWURQJTXHHQULJKWFRORQ\XVLQJWKHEHORZPHWKRGRIFRPELQLQJFRORQLHVZLWKQHZVSDSHU VHH <br />EHORZIRULQVWUXFWLRQV  <br />/HWWKHFRORQ\JR7KHGURQHVZLOOPDWXUHDQGSRVVLEO\PDWHZLWKDYLUJLQTXHHQIURPDQRWKHUFRORQ\ <br />VHQGLQJWKHLUJHQHVLQWRDQHZJHQHUDWLRQ(YHQWXDOO\WKHFRORQ\ZLOOGLHZLWKQRZRUNHUVWRIHHGWKH <br />GHYHORSLQJGURQHV<RXPD\VHHGURQHEURRGWKDWORRNVGLVHDVHGEXWWKH\DUHRIWHQG\LQJRIQHJOHFW