Chalky queen advice please

[Oakbear]

Hi folks,

I have a single colony which i plan to split this year with an artificial swarm. I'm looking to add at least one colony, so all good if they've read the books.

The queen i have is last years, and seems prone to chalk brood. She's doing a sterling job building up at the moment, but the dreaded chalk is there again.
I think re-queening is going to be the answer (although am open to suggestions!).

But, do i buy a new queen and introduce her soonish, or wait until i've done the artificial swarm then buy or rear a new queen afterwards?
I assume if the latter i'll have the wait until it's a bit established before any squishing?!

Thanks!

 

[Oakbear]

Bump

 

[oliver90owner]

No other suggestions. 'Change the queen' is plastered thrououtthe many bee tomes I have on my shelf. Just remember compromises are always required wher beekeeping is concerned.

RAB

 

[Heather]

I had a chalk brood last year -advised to dump the lot. I didn't. as I am loathe to give up on a colony.
Did a shook swarm on the lot- queen too - went on to be a completely normal productive colony- and the queen still going great guns.

In fact did an artificial swarm yesterday on same colony as heaving with brood- lovely solid pattern- and 2 queen cells

 

[Midland Beek]

If we are talking small amounts of chalk brood you might want to let the situation continue. Depends how good a job you want to do in an effort to sort it out. Replacing the queen is the sure fire way of sorting the problem, and this should be an objective if we are talking about a very significant chalk brood problem.

You could perhaps buy one queen and do a split - introducing the new queen to the queenless part. Buy two queens and you could make a split and get rid of the old queen in one go.

 

[Oakbear]

Thanks for the replies folks!

Heather - I had thought of changing frames, although they're not too bad. Would a shook swarm might delay any chance of an AS.
RAB - Compromise is a good point. The chalk only seems an issue when they're starting to build. It all but goes at full strength. Maybe i'm asking too much? I just worry it'll make them more vulnerable to other things when they're at a low ebb anyway.
Midland - Am i too early to buy mated queens though?

 

[Finman]

Fool advices.

When you shake bees and destroy brood and combs, it is the biggest destruction of all. Even chalkbrood can not do it.

When summer goes further, mostly chalk brood goes away but emerges again when weathers are bad.

If Heather kept the hive on its own, it perhaps healed itself same way as with shaling.

Try to get a new queen which genetically tolerate chalkbrood.