A possible new way of re-queening a hive.

[bobba]

I am considering re-queening one of my hives next year.

To my understanding I first need to make a hive hopelessly q-less. I have seen videos where people first find and kill/remove the queen. Then wait a few days before going back to search for emergency cells and remove them. Then having a final check before trying to introduce the new queen.

I am not sure I trust myself to find all the emergency cells.

So, would this work as an alternative?

1. Find the queen, cage her and leave her in the hive.
2. Wait until all the eggs have turned to brood, say 4 days. Then remove the queen.
3. Wait a few more days so the bees are crying out for a queen, then introduce the new one.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Have your new queen in her introduction cage in your pocket.
kill the old queen
Put the new one in
Job done

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Have your new queen in her introduction cage in your pocket.
kill the old queen
Put the new one in
Job done

Get the old queen out then put in the new one, in cage, protective tab over the candy intact, next day, open hive, if the bees aren't being agressive towrds the queen, quick check for QC's (remove if any found) remove tab, close up and leave for a few days (I leave them until the next inspection) go in nd remove cage then leave well alone for another week before conduction a very light touch inspection

 

[Arfermo]

If you remove the old queen and there are new eggs in situ they will make a queen for free with a little patience. Home grown mongrels are often preferable.

 

[Erichalfbee]

If you remove the old queen and there are new eggs in situ they will make a queen for free with a little patience. Home grown mongrels are often preferable.

It’s getting a little late in the year though.

 

[Arfermo]

It’s getting a little late in the year though.

My response was primarily for Bubba who said he wanted to do it next year. Clearly far too late now.

 

[Erichalfbee]

My response was primarily for Bubba who said he wanted to do it next year. Clearly far too late now.

Ah
Sorry

 

[Ian123]

My response was primarily for Bubba who said he wanted to do it next year. Clearly far too late now.

Really I’ve got a batch due to hatch at the weekend..........shush don’t tell them

 

[Arfermo]

Really I’ve got a batch due to hatch at the weekend..........shush don’t tell them

Potentially virgins for 6 months or more as few if any drones in the mood this time of year? Like me when I was a stripling - too cold for hanky panky.

 

[pargyle]

Have your new queen in her introduction cage in your pocket.
kill the old queen
Put the new one in
Job done

Yes... normally works every time ... No real need to re-invent the wheel, if it works, don't fix it !

 

[ericbeaumont]

If you remove the old queen and there are new eggs in situ they will make a queen for free with a little patience.

Perhaps the reason for re-queening is that the current queen produces excessively defensive bees, bees that suffer from chalk brood or other minor ailments, produce little honey or a lot of propolis.

 

[ericbeaumont]

So, would this work as an alternative?

1. Find the queen, cage her and leave her in the hive.
2. Wait until all the eggs have turned to brood, say 4 days. Then remove the queen.
3. Wait a few more days so the bees are crying out for a queen, then introduce the new one.

Yes, but:
2 Bees can produce queens from older larvae, so better to wait seven days. Don't give bees options in these situations.
3 As JBM & EHB describe: add the new caged queen when you remove the old. If there's any suggestion of fussy irritability around the cage after a few days, close up and wait a few more days; feeding before and during introduction improves acceptance.

 

[Antipodes]

If the reason for re-queening is extreme defensiveness, I'd consider introducing the queen into a nucleus colony first to let her establish for a while and then combine that with the original colony, having made that queenless just before you combine.

 

[bobba]

Thanks for all the replies.

I have seen a lot of youtube videos on the subject and they always seem to make a big fuss of killing the queen and emergency cells before introduction.

So tbh, I am a bit suppressed/skeptical by the simplicity of what I have been advised.

But if its advised by Danni and Jenkinsbrynmair, with a seal of approval from Pargyle....... then who am I to argue.

I am thinking ahead for next year or two.

I started with an f1 buckfast. I now have 2 x f2 (2019) and 2x f3 (2020), all open mated.

I originally got my bees from a local breeder who has an imported breeder queen. So was pondering seeing if I could get a new f1 from him.

One of my f3s is defensive compared to my other hives, this is the one I am thinking about re-queening.

Watching a video recently posted on this forum (Join me for my first inspection) made me think, maybe these bees are not so bad after all, and perhaps I have just been spoiled by how chilled out my hives are.

The naughty hive seems to have chilled out recently too. So I have decided to give it a run next spring and take it from there.

There are some youtube keepers out there who like to make everything more faff than it needs to be.

So thanks as always for cutting out all the nonsense and keeping things nice and simple for me.

 

[Curly green finger's]

Thanks for all the replies.

I have seen a lot of youtube videos on the subject and they always seem to make a big fuss of killing the queen and emergency cells before introduction.

So tbh, I am a bit suppressed/skeptical by the simplicity of what I have been advised.

But if its advised by Danni and Jenkinsbrynmair, with a seal of approval from Pargyle....... then who am I to argue.

I am thinking ahead for next year or two.

I started with an f1 buckfast. I now have 2 x f2 (2019) and 2x f3 (2020), all open mated.

I originally got my bees from a local breeder who has an imported breeder queen. So was pondering seeing if I could get a new f1 from him.

One of my f3s is defensive compared to my other hives, this is the one I am thinking about re-queening.

Watching a video recently posted on this forum (Join me for my first inspection) made me think, maybe these bees are not so bad after all, and perhaps I have just been spoiled by how chilled out my hives are.

The naughty hive seems to have chilled out recently too. So I have decided to give it a run next spring and take it from there.

There are some youtube keepers out there who like to make everything more faff than it needs to be.

So thanks as always for cutting out all the nonsense and keeping things nice and simple for me.

Some would say K. I. S. S
I do it exactly the same as the others. but on a bigger colony I leave the tab on until day three of introduction.

 

[Beersinthegarden]

Evening,
Just curious as to what might happen this time of year if you introduced the queen immediately after removing the old one as mentioned but didn't check for queen cells or missed one and let the new queen out after a day or so, if new queen was accepted would the bees destroy the cells or leave them to hatch?

 

[Swarm]

Things can ad do go wrong, even following the above advice. Some colonies are more reluctant than others to accept a new queen, some are stubbornly so.

 

[Swarm]

Evening,
Just curious as to what might happen this time of year if you introduced the queen immediately after removing the old one as mentioned but didn't check for queen cells or missed one and let the new queen out after a day or so, if new queen was accepted would the bees destroy the cells or leave them to hatch?

They sit there laughing at the beekeeper who just wasted money.
Virgin emerges, new queen is dead.

 

[Ian123]

Potentially virgins for 6 months or more as few if any drones in the mood this time of year? Like me when I was a stripling - too cold for hanky panky.

Sorry not the case over many years late matings have been rather good and in many cases more consistent than earlier in the year. As to your youthful exploits I dated a number of Nordic ladies who told me it was the best way to keep warm

 

[Erichalfbee]

Thanks for all the replies.

I have seen a lot of youtube videos on the subject and they always seem to make a big fuss of killing the queen and emergency cells before introduction.

So tbh, I am a bit suppressed/skeptical by the simplicity of what I have been advised.

But if its advised by Danni and Jenkinsbrynmair, with a seal of approval from Pargyle....... then who am I to argue.

I am thinking ahead for next year or two.

I started with an f1 buckfast. I now have 2 x f2 (2019) and 2x f3 (2020), all open mated.

I originally got my bees from a local breeder who has an imported breeder queen. So was pondering seeing if I could get a new f1 from him.

One of my f3s is defensive compared to my other hives, this is the one I am thinking about re-queening.

Watching a video recently posted on this forum (Join me for my first inspection) made me think, maybe these bees are not so bad after all, and perhaps I have just been spoiled by how chilled out my hives are.

The naughty hive seems to have chilled out recently too. So I have decided to give it a run next spring and take it from there.

There are some youtube keepers out there who like to make everything more faff than it needs to be.

So thanks as always for cutting out all the nonsense and keeping things nice and simple for me.

If they really are defensive then as Antipodes says make a nuc up. Wait till she has laid a frame up then unite in the normal way