Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
There is a wealth of anecdotal evidence to suggest that certain strains of bees are
inclined to supersede rather than swarm. Despite the obvious commercial advantage
of having supersedure colonies, very little research has been done on the subject.
Supersedure queen cells are built from queen cups in the same way as swarm cells. They
are therefore very difficult to tell apart. Occasionally the new queen will mate and start
laying together with the old queen. The bees will dispose of the old queen later.
Trials in New Zealand claimed that induced supersedure (see Chapter 11 for
instructions on how to induce supersedure) was, at best, 75% successful. Trials in the
UK showed a 50% success rate. Unless you routinely mark all your queens, you will
never know if your bees have supersedured or not.
The supersedure cell
There is no easy way to distinguish a supersedure cell from a swarm cell. There tend,
however, to be fewer supersedure cells than swarm cells. Therefore if you find one or
two cells only, they could well be supersedure cells. The queen cells' position may also
be indicative of supersedure cells: many beekeepers have reported that a few queen cells
built along the top edge of the frame or in the centre of the brood frame are more likely
to be supersedure cells.
So, if you see two queens during an inspection, this isn't necessarily a problem: you may
well have a good colony to rear queens from (see Chapter 11). Earlier in this chapter, the
annual (or two-yearly) re-queening of your hives was suggested as a swarm-prevention
method. If you do this you must ensure that your queen is accepted, and this can be a
problem for some beekeepers. Chapter 8 gives comprehensive guidance that may help
you when re-queening.
Before we end this chapter on springtime tasks, there are two methods of adjusting a
hive that may increase your harvest by helping the bees to get the best out of the main
honey flow.
