KentishBee · Kent, UK · Queens · Aug 11, 2026
Two capped queen cells mid-August with the old queen still laying — let the supersedure run or pinch and requeen?
Kent, third year, five hives. Inspection yesterday on my 2024 queen's colony: two capped queen cells, both on the FACE of the comb (not the bottom bar), colony not congested, no backfilling, and the old queen is still present and laying — though her pattern has gone noticeably spotty over the last month.
Everything I've read says face-of-comb plus a failing pattern equals supersedure, not swarming, and the standard advice is to let the bees get on with it. But it's mid-August. By the time a virgin emerges, matures and mates we're into September. There are still drones about here but numbers are dropping.
Do I trust the bees and let it run, or pinch the cells and buy a mated September queen while they're still available? Losing this colony to a failed mating in autumn would sting.
#supersedure#queen-cells#requeening#august
▲ 9 votes
💬 4 replies
✅ Solved
CorkBeeRon · Aug 11, 2026 · ✅ Accepted answer
You've read it right — that's supersedure. Here's the thing people miss: in supersedure the bees usually keep the old queen laying until the new one is mated. It's a belt-and-braces system. If the mating fails, you still have granny as backup and THEN you buy your September queen. Pinching the cells now throws away the free option. Let it run, check for a new laying queen in 3-4 weeks, and only reach for your wallet if both fail.
ImkerinLena · Aug 11, 2026
Agree with CorkBeeRon completely. Mid-August matings succeed here in Bavaria most years, and Kent is milder. The one modification I would make: do not disturb them during the mating window. Mark your calendar, stay out for three weeks. A virgin returning from a mating flight to a colony you have just torn apart is how supersedures fail.
DevonBees_Em · Aug 12, 2026
Had this exact scenario in Devon last August. Let it run, new queen was laying by mid-September and came through winter beautifully. The old girl disappeared sometime in October — bees sorted it themselves. Nature's succession planning.
KentishBee · Aug 12, 2026
Consensus accepted — hands off, calendar marked for September 2nd. It did feel wrong to interfere with something that textbook. Thanks both for the mother-daughter overlap point, that's what settled it.
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