Six charged swarm cells in my best colony — cutting cells into nucs, how many frames of bees each?
Kent, third year, four colonies. Yesterday's inspection of my best honey producer turned up six charged swarm cells along the bottom bars, larvae swimming in royal jelly, none capped yet. Instead of just doing damage control I'd like to finally make increase from her — she's gentle and out-produces the rest by a super.
Plan forming in my head: artificial swarm the old queen onto the original site, then split the cell frames into nucs. But the practical bits are fuzzy. Do I cut cells out or just distribute the frames they're on? How many frames of bees does each nuc actually need to raise a cell through to a laying queen — I've read everything from two frames to 'a full five-frame box'. And do I leave one cell per nuc or two as insurance?
Don't want to spread them so thin I end up with six failed matchboxes instead of three decent colonies.
#swarm-cells#nucs#increase#artificial-swarm
▲ 15 votes💬 4 replies
4 replies
AbejasCarla · Jun 13, 2026
Move frames, don't cut, whenever the cells sit on separate frames — cutting is for when two good cells share one frame. Handle like eggs in every sense: keep them upright, warm, no shaking, no rolling bees over them. And wait until they're capped and ripe before you move anything; cells are most fragile in the days just after capping. Each nuc: the cell frame, one more frame of mostly emerging brood, one of stores, and shake in an extra frame of nurse bees because your foragers will fly home to the parent.
DrentseBij · Jun 13, 2026
Three from six is exactly the right ambition — two cells per nuc as insurance, three nucs, done. Six singles in June in Kent will mostly get through but they'll crawl into autumn needing constant feeding. One caution on double cells: occasionally both emerge and you get a scrap, but the first out usually deals with the other cell. I'll take that risk over a dud cell any day.
CorkBeeRon · Jun 14, 2026
Agree with the above, one timing note: from a just-capped cell you're looking at emergence within 8 days, then roughly two to three weeks before she's mated and laying. So calendar it and sit on your hands — the nuc that looks 'hopelessly queenless' on day 12 is completely normal. Feed them light syrup if the weather turns; small units can't spare foragers.
KentishBee · Jun 14, 2026
Perfect, that settles the plan: artificial swarm this afternoon, back Tuesday when cells should be capped to make up three nucs with two cells each, extra shake of nurses in each. Diary marked for the do-not-open fortnight. Thanks all!