Oh Why are they Doing It?

[blanc]

First year beek and started with a TBH that is 4 ft. Put a swarm in about 2 months back and place a blocker at 1/3 the hive to make them more confortable. Gals been building great and almost filled that section and opened up abit more and they seem to be building up pretty quick. Thing is that I inspected today and they are making queen cells and they have plenty of space still available. I placed empty bars in between in a couple spots so they won't feel as crowded. Any advice from you more experienced TBH guys.
James

[Joe D]

Wish I could, most of my hives are langsthroth, but they all I think will build queen cells.  I had some this spring, I did happen to catch all the swarms.  I think they may have swarmed because of older queen.  I had bought established hives from an estate, so no telling how old the queens were.  Two swarms queens died a few days after they swarmed, 1 went back to old hive, the other I requeened.  But none of this is really helping, I have read MB's writings and others also, I think sometimes they are just going to swarm, probably wrong.  Good luck


Joe

[buzzbee]

Swarming is the bees way of reproducing a colony. Swarming is what the bees build up to do.We as beekeepers try to suppress that natural urge by removing queens and bees,letting the rest of the colony thinking the swarm has occured.Giving lots of space can sometimes let them think they are not yet strong enough to swarm.
A healthy colony strives to do just what yours are doing. Unless the cells are in the middle of the combs.Then they are superceding the queen.If that is the case,they sense trouble with the old queen.

[beehappy1950]

I have heard adding to the center of the brood box (called checkerboarding in langstroths) can cause them to build swarm cells. Maybe someone else can tell you. Harold

[nietssemaj]

I am no expert. I have 2 TBH's I started this year and this is my first year in beekeeping.

One of my hives has been doing exactly what you are talking about since about week 3. I've pulled queen cells. I've checker boarded. I've added empty bars at the ends of the brood area nothing seemed to stop them. They kept on making queen cells. All the while they were still building up and becoming strong. 2 weeks ago I gave into their desires and did a walk away split. I've now got a new mated queen in the TBH and the old queen laying good in a Langstroth hive.

My other TBH has been growing nicely and hasn't built a queen cell once until this last week. Due to my fiddling I stole a frame of eggs from this hive for the other hive after I had split it. The queen in this hive happened to be on that frame so I moved her. I think I put her on a frame that I have moved into the honey area of the hive so she was trapped and ran out of room. Bee's have drawn out a supercedure cell on that hive. I'll probably let that one go and see what comes of it.

[kathyp]

I've pulled queen cells. I've checker boarded. I've added empty bars at the ends of the brood area nothing seemed to stop them. They kept on making queen cells.

once they start making real queen cells, they have already decided either to swarm, or replace the queen.  pulling those queen cells will accomplish nothing.  if you destroy them, you run the risk of finding your hive queenless.

better to remove the old queen and some bees to make the hive think it has swarmed.  then either let them raise their own queen or order a new one.  don't destroy the queen cells until you have you new queen in hand if you are buying one.  you never know what might happen in the shipping. 

[beehappy1950]

I wouldnt worry about it until there is larva in the queen cells. Building them is normal dont mean they are doing anything.

[blanc]

Thanks for all your imput and I need to build a nuc TBH in order to do a split and calm those beauties down. This has been the most productive hive I have and been build like mad. I did what Micheal Bush suggest to slip in some empties in between the brood chamber to give em some room and will look n on them in couple days.

[gardeningfireman]

Swarms will almost always requeen shortly after getting established. Usually the beek doesn't notice. Once comb is built and eggs laid, the queen will be superceded. It doesn't mean they are going to swarm again.