Confirm queenlessness

The first step when emergency queen cells are observed is to confirm colony queenlessness. This involves a thorough hive inspection to verify the absence of the queen and, crucially, the absence of eggs and young larvae. The presence of eggs or young larvae indicates that the queen was recently present, and emergency cells may be due to a temporary queen absence or other factors. True queenlessness, confirmed by the lack of eggs and young larvae along with emergency cells, signals that the colony is actively attempting to raise a new queen due to queen loss. Accurate queenlessness confirmation is essential before deciding on intervention strategies.