Back with more newbie questions...

[italic63]

Sorry guys (and girls?).
I need to raise a new queen for an ageing colony and clearly don't have sufficient nurse bees.
To crest the Queen cells is it best to put some larvae in the queenless colony together with worker bees taken from the Queen right one or is it best to split the Queen right colony?
Thanks

 

[drex]

Don't quite understand your question. However if I had one colony and wanted to raise a new queen, the simplest way might be to build that colony up as much as I could, then remove old queen into a two frame nuc, let the remaining bees build queen cells and take it from there. Simpler still, buy a queen.

 

[italic63]

Sorry for the poor question... The queenless colony does not have a big enough population of nurse bees to create a queen cell so my question is do i take resources from the Queen right colony or do I shake nurse bees into the queenless colony? Hope my question makes sense
Thanks

 

[LeaBees]

Do you have eggs/young brood in the Q- colony? If so I think they'll try to make a queen regardless of size. But I'm also a newbee so I'm sure I'll be corrected.

 

[italic63]

The Queen right colony has eggs larvae and brood on about 6 frames, the queenless one has only adult bees. It's had no brood for weeks now

 

[Brown Beek]

If you have a strong Queen right colony, I would suggest splitting that. However, assuming ther are no disease issues with the weakening colony, you may want to consider ‘retiring’ the aging Queen and combining the bees with the strong hive (over newspapers) strengthening it further. I’d give it 48hrs to settle before making your split.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I would simply unite the two colonies. Wait till they make swarm preps, nuc the queen and let the parent hive raise a new one

 

[pargyle]

I would simply unite the two colonies. Wait till they make swarm preps, nuc the queen and let the parent hive raise a new one

Yes ... anything else is going to make two weaker colonies from one good one and a weaker one. Plenty of time then to let them build up - and either make swarm cells which you can use for a second colony or buy in a decent queen and split the colony and you will have two good colonies to go into winter. You might even get a super or so of honey from one bigger colony.

 

[drex]

@italic. You need to update your profile which says you only have one hive. That is part of what confused me
Totally agree with Dani