R&T Bee Ranch

Queen cells in the bee colony tell a story that the beekeeper reads. Identifying the different types of queen cells tells us as beekeepers the reason for the queen cell and what the colony is planning.

Bees make queen cells for several different reasons.

• Emergency queen cells (sudden loss of the current queen)
• Supersedure queen cells (replacing the current queen)
• Swarm queen cells (Preparing to reproduce by swarming)

The placement, size, and quantity of the cells help us determine which type of queen cell we are seeing. The development stage, if it’s opened, and how it was opened tell the story of the new queen inside.

Reading the story on the frames helps us work with our bees and guides management decisions.

It sure was hot ☀️ and humid today after last week’s cool and rainy weather. These bees were bearding. I opened up their entrance and put a couple of pennies under the inner cover. They were going back in by the end of the inspections.