Supercedure

If supercedure cells are observed and the colony appears healthy and exhibits no signs of queenlessness, the best approach is often to monitor and allow the natural supercedure process to proceed. This involves regular hive inspections to track the development of supercedure cells, emergence of the new queen, and subsequent queen mating and brood pattern establishment. Natural supercedure allows the bees to select a new queen best suited for the colony's needs. Beekeepers should avoid interfering with natural supercedure unless problems arise, such as queen mating failure.

If natural supercedure is unsuccessful, or if queen mating fails after a supercedure event, beekeeper intervention with requeening becomes necessary to avoid colony queenlessness. Signs of supercedure failure include prolonged absence of eggs or brood after queen cell emergence, or a poor or spotty brood pattern. In such cases, introducing a mated queen ensures the colony becomes queenright and can resume normal colony functions. Requeening after supercedure failure is a rescue measure to prevent colony decline or collapse due to queenlessness.

When supercedure cells are present, beekeepers should evaluate the existing queen's quality and performance. This involves assessing the queen's brood pattern (compactness, consistency), temperament of the colony (gentleness, defensiveness), and overall colony health and productivity. Supercedure may indicate that the bees are replacing a queen they perceive as failing or underperforming. Evaluating queen quality helps beekeepers decide whether to allow natural supercedure or intervene with requeening. A poor brood pattern or aggressive colony behavior may support allowing supercedure or proactive requeening.