Supercedure
From Biocrawler, the free encyclopedia.
Supercedure is a term used in beekeeping. It is the process by which an old queen bee is replaced by a new queen. Supercedure will occur naturally or can be induced. Natural supercedure may be initiated due old age of a queen or a diseased or failing queen. As the queen ages the pheromones diminish. Nosema disease is also implicated in queen supercedure.
The natural process starts when the bees make supercedure cells to replace a laying queen. In a beehive the location of supercedure cells differ from swarm cells. Supercedure cells rarely hang from the bottom of a frame but can be found in the center of the brood nest.
