Frame Guide › Queen problems
Swarm Cells: what it looks like on the frame
Early May · booming population, bees boiling out the front.
A row of peanut-shaped queen cells hanging off the bottom bars over a nest backfilled with nectar. Position is the tell — cells along the bottom edge mean the colony is packing up to swarm.
Split off the queen or a nuc to relieve pressure
Once they're committed, cutting cells rarely stops them and can leave you queenless. Split to relieve the congestion — and you turn a swarm you'd have lost into a second colony. That's how an operation grows.
Easy to mistake for
- Supersedure CellsNothing dramatic. The pattern has just gotten patchy lately.
- Emergency Queen CellsYou rolled the queen ten days ago. This is the same colony now.
- ChalkbroodCool, wet spring. You spot chalky white bits on the landing board.
Could you spot this with the lid off?
Read the Frame deals you 8 random frames. Say what you see, say what you'd do, and find out why. It's free and runs on your phone.
Drill queen problems → Mixed round (all 32 frames) →More queen problems
- Healthy Brood PatternJune · a strong colony, bees calm and covering the comb.
- Laying WorkerA colony that's been loud and 'roary' for weeks. No calm hum.
- Supersedure CellsNothing dramatic. The pattern has just gotten patchy lately.
- Drone-Laying QueenQueen is present, but the brood looks bumpy and raised all over.
- Emergency Queen CellsYou rolled the queen ten days ago. This is the same colony now.
- Can't Find the QueenYou went through every frame twice and never saw the queen.
- New Queen Laying Double EggsThe queen you introduced started laying five days ago.
- Waiting on a Virgin QueenThis colony swarmed 16 days ago. No eggs, no larvae anywhere.
- Empty Queen CupsMid-April · the colony is building fast. Along the bottom bars you find these.
These frames are drawn to teach the pattern, and real frames vary. From The Alleman Apiary in Middletown, PA.