1st full inspection

[Rock_Chick]

with Work and the weather it’s been a nightmare trying to get though the bees, it’s been so cold . I’d done a box and floor change early March, on that brief warm day we had.
Yesterday was nice, and I knew one of the hives would be full to busting, and going away in a few weeks I wanted to avoid losing a swarm. The colony was definitely over flowing, a few cups and one with royal jelly in , no egg. So I’ve removed the queen ( now in her 3rd year ) to a nuc and replaced frames with foundation. so what do I do now, wait for emergency cells and keep one or buy in a queen.

 

[pargyle]

with Work and the weather it’s been a nightmare trying to get though the bees, it’s been so cold . I’d done a box and floor change early March, on that brief warm day we had.
Yesterday was nice, and I knew one of the hives would be full to busting, and going away in a few weeks I wanted to avoid losing a swarm. The colony was definitely over flowing, a few cups and one with royal jelly in , no egg. So I’ve removed the queen ( now in her 3rd year ) to a nuc and replaced frames with foundation. so what do I do now, wait for emergency cells and keep one or buy in a queen.

Basically yes ... as long as you have left them with the means to either continue to work on the existing queen cups or there are some eggs left in the queenless hive then they will raise a new (or a few) queens.

It's a walk away split to all intents and purposes but it's not an artificial swarm so there's no guarantee that the queenright nuc, who will retain the swarming instinct, will not raise more queen cells and swarm. You will have to keep an eye on them ...

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Basically yes ... as long as you have left them with the means to either continue to work on the existing queen cups or there are some eggs left in the queenless hive then they will raise a new (or a few) queens.

It's a walk away split to all intents and purposes but it's not an artificial swarm so there's no guarantee that the queenright nuc, who will retain the swarming instinct, will not raise more queen cells and swarm. You will have to keep an eye on them ...

I find that as long as you keep the nuc in the same apiary the flying bees (which are the swarm instigators) will return to the main hive, find the queen gone and just think they missed the bus so all is fine.
The nuc, now having none of the swarm instigators will just carry on with business as usual until the nuc gets overcrowded, then..................................

 

[Rock_Chick]

If i wanted to introduce a new queen into this hive, when would the best time be to do this ?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

If i wanted to introduce a new queen into this hive, when would the best time be to do this ?

immediately on removing the queen

 

[Rock_Chick]

immediately on removing the queen

ahh ok, I guess I'll leave them too it then, I'll check back in on Thus/Friday and just leave one cell. then I'm away for 2 weeks

 

[LeaBees]

immediately on removing the queen

So to change a queen in a hive, remove (or dispatch) old queen then just add new immediately ? Keep in introduction cage for a bit ?
Will new queen not get killed off as will have different "odour" to old queen?

 

[Erichalfbee]

So to change a queen in a hive, remove (or dispatch) old queen then just add new immediately ? Keep in introduction cage for a bit ?
Will new queen not get killed off as will have different "odour" to old queen?

Straight in. She won't get killed because she is in the introduction cage. You leave her there for three days then break the tab protecting the fondant