A possible new way of re-queening a hive.

[Beersinthegarden]

Has anybody tried re-queening a large or defensive hive like this and is there any reason it wouldn't work?
1. Move hive 3 or so metres away
2. Place nuc or box at original site for forragers to return too with some fondant or food source
3. Find and dispatch old queen once flyers have left new location
4. install new caged queen
5. remove candy tabs next day and gradually move original box now with new queen closer back to old location over a period of a week
6. check after 7 days to see if new queen is out and accepted in hive
7. remove nuc/box at original location and replace with orginal brood box with now accepted queen reuniting forragers with original hive

 

[Erichalfbee]

Simply ma

Has anybody tried re-queening a large or defensive hive like this and is there any reason it wouldn't work?
1. Move hive 3 or so metres away
2. Place nuc or box at original site for forragers to return too with some fondant or food source
3. Find and dispatch old queen once flyers have left new location
4. install new caged queen
5. remove candy tabs next day and gradually move original box now with new queen closer back to old location over a period of a week
6. check after 7 days to see if new queen is out and accepted in hive
7. remove nuc/box at original location and replace with orginal brood box with now accepted queen reuniting forragers with original hive

Making a nuc up and moving that aside a little seems so much easier.
What are the angry foragers doing in the meantime?

 

[Speybee]

So you remove the old queen how long would you wait before introducing the new and testing the reaction please?

Several times I have requeened with a mated caged queen with success.
I wait for queen bee replacement to arrive in post( I pay extra signed, next day guaranteed delivery, before 1pm, to save her being longer than required in postal system) and place her in a cool part of the house.

I locate old queen bee, put her in queen clip in a sealed poly bag and into the freezer for dispatch.
Next day I thoroughly check through the hive for any queen cells preparation and place the new mated queen in her cage surrounded by her attendants ( I don’t get rid of her attendants) firmly jammed between 2 frames of deep brood.

The tab of the cage is opened and I go back to see if she has been accepted 7-days later and all fondant chewed out, and remove plastic cage.
At next inspection one week later I just check for eggs/sealed brood and not too worried if I don’t find her, as I know she’s there.

That’s worked so far for me, each time a I’ve requeened with a caged mated queen,

 

[Beersinthegarden]

Good evening, so rather than start a new thread thought I would just continue to ask advice on here about my re-queening experience.

So new queen went in Friday immediately after dispatching old queen, candy tabs unclipped Saturday. I didn't open hive but had a peak in through the poly crownboard late evening today and I could see all the fondant has been eaten already which shocked me, but I saw bees all over the cage still and saw bees moving in the cage. Looks like the tabs I pried off might have bent back down over the holes and blocked bees getting in and out is that possible with these plastic type introduction cages or something else going on?

Got a quick video I can try and post if would help but quality isn't good and not much to see apart from bees behaviour around cage. Opinions on what best to do next and what might have happened here appreciated didn't want to open the hive and disturb again if not needed.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

bees will go through the candy in less than 24 hours if they are minded to. I snap off the tabs totally, unless it's a JZ-BZ cage of course, then just take off the cap

 

[Beersinthegarden]

bees will go through the candy in less than 24 hours if they are minded to. I snap off the tabs totally, unless it's a JZ-BZ cage of course, then just take off the cap

Would you go back in and remove the cage and see what's happening, remove tabs completely if they have blocked the holes or leave alone for a while? could always install more candy if queen is still alive and in cage and reinsert

 

[Swarm]

Go have a look at the cage, ease it out gently, I expect it's just a few bees running around inside. If it is the tab and it's blocked or shut, break it off and pop her back.

 

[Beersinthegarden]

Go have a look at the cage, ease it out gently, I expect it's just a few bees running around inside. If it is the tab and it's blocked or shut, break it off and pop her back.

Queen was out today and bees were being nasty biting and loosely balling her, hive had many Q-cells which I broke down she's out now and in a newly made up nuc where the bees were much more receptive to her feeding her immediately through new cage I guess I will be trying the nuc/combine method now. Maybe if I had left her she would have been OK as they could have killed her if they wanted I guess? I didn't want to risk it as hive is v large and quite defensive.

For how many days maximum can the bees make Queen cells from when old queen is removed ?

 

[bobba]

Queen was out today and bees were being nasty biting and loosely balling her, hive had many Q-cells which I broke down she's out now and in a newly made up nuc where the bees were much more receptive to her feeding her immediately through new cage I guess I will be trying the nuc/combine method now. Maybe if I had left her she would have been OK as they could have killed her if they wanted I guess? I didn't want to risk it as hive is v large and quite defensive.

For how many days maximum can the bees make Queen cells from when old queen is removed ?

Thanks for the updates. Sorry I cannot offer any advice, I will leave that to others.

But do share the outcome, I hope it all works out ok.

 

[Curly green finger's]

Queen was out today and bees were being nasty biting and loosely balling her, hive had many Q-cells which I broke down she's out now and in a newly made up nuc where the bees were much more receptive to her feeding her immediately through new cage I guess I will be trying the nuc/combine method now. Maybe if I had left her she would have been OK as they could have killed her if they wanted I guess? I didn't want to risk it as hive is v large and quite defensive.

For how many days maximum can the bees make Queen cells from when old queen is removed ?

Well if there is new eggs from your queen 5 days.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Well if there is new eggs from your queen 5 days.

6 days

 

[Curly green finger's]

6 days

Imo I wouldn't want to use or keep any beyond day 5.. Same for me mucker.

 

[Beersinthegarden]

Thanks oh crap I guess that means I am going to have to check again Thursday to be sure and hives really not happy atm, they had lots of disruption lately honey removed recently and old queen removed me going in hive a lot and were already a bit defensive before all this. I was surprised to find a queen cell bang slap in the middle of a brand new frame of foundation I had added only Friday upon removing old queen nothing else on it just the queen cell.