About The Queen Cells

Queen Cells & Queen Cups

Not every “peanut” means a swarm — and not every cup becomes a queen.

Queen cells are the larger peanut-shaped cells bees build when they intend to raise a new queen.

Unlike worker brood cells, which are horizontal and uniform, queen cells extend outward from the comb and provide the space needed to develop a fully formed reproductive queen.

Queen Cells – 3 Flavors – 1 Purpose

• Swarm Cells – Replace a parent queen for colony reproduction
• Supersedure Cells – Replacing a failing queen
• Emergency Cells – Replacing a missing queen

Queen Cups – Small bowl shape cups that may or may not ever become queen cells. As long as they are empty and dry, there are safely ignored.

In the natural world these all serve the same purpose — producing a new queen.

The difference is why the colony decided to build them.

In most cases the location of the cell within the brood nest tells the story.

Follow the links below to learn how beekeepers interpret each type during hive inspections and what they mean to the bees and the beekeepers.