Chance of swarming with mated queen?

Beekeeping & Apiculture Forum

Help Support Beekeeping & Apiculture Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

The Poot

Queen Bee
***
Joined
Feb 15, 2015
Messages
3,639
Reaction score
4,422
Location
Dorset
Hive Type
National
Number of Hives
Five
The situation:
Split colony - single brood box with the flying bees from split, with three supers, two filled, one mostly empty.
Split was with one frame of eggs and larvae, the remaining frames foundation.
Brood box is very congested with bees, supers only lightly populated. Foundation is about 40% drawn out in the brood box.
One week after split there were 37 queen cells on the donated frame. I broke these down and introduced a mated queen.
After the introduction, there has been a lot of bees hanging around on the landing board, even in the rain.

Assuming the queen introduction is successful, what are the chances they will swarm with her after she’s laid eggs to make a new queen?
If that is likely, what action should I take? Would adding a second brood box to ease congestion help?
This is new territory for me, so will appreciate your advice. TIA
 
I would suggest it is unlikely with a good new laying queen ..... but bees is bees
 
I would suggest it is unlikely with a good new laying queen ..... but bees is bees
That’s what occurred to me……bees is bees!
 
Happened to me last week, £40 marked queen in the box for a week, then they raised QC and she was gone . I will be checking progress on the QC today.
 
Happened to me last week, £40 marked queen in the box for a week, then they raised QC and she was gone . I will be checking progress on the QC today.
Is it best then, to remove said marked queen into a nuc (if queen cells are started) and leave the colony with one to get on with. Or break them all down in the hope that they will lose the impulse to swarm as the old stagers die off?

Also, is the best advice to check the new queen’s acceptance within the first week (not wait the full week) to try to avoid losing her, but risk the disturbance to her acceptance?
 
Clip the laying Q , if they try and swarm be ready with a nuc and mop up the swarm to the nuc with the clipped Q.
 
Why did you wait a week after the split to introduce a new queen?
Advice. So all the queen cells made could be broken down and there would be no further eggs or young larvae for more queen cells to be made. If hopelessly queenless they will (apparently) accept the introduced queen more readily.
 
If hopelessly queenless they will (apparently) accept the introduced queen more readily.
I reckon it’s more to do with what bee you are introducing. Black bees aren’t very accepting of orange ones whereas orange ones aren’t fussy. I’ve seen both newly queenless and hopelessly queenless black bees let a new queen lay up a little then make their own after killing her.
 
It’s common advice unfortunately. I read the same over and over. Make a nuc hopelessly queenless before introducing a bought queen.
I split and requeen immediately. Works 100% this year.
 
I reckon it’s more to do with what bee you are introducing. Black bees aren’t very accepting of orange ones whereas orange ones aren’t fussy. I’ve seen both newly queenless and hopelessly queenless black bees let a new queen lay up a little then make their own after killing her.
Mine are local mongrels, a bit of a mix of orange and dark. The queen is a Buckfast.
I sought further advice on here, as I am unsure that the advice I followed will result in the colony not swarming with the new queen after she has laid eggs.
Had I introduced her immediately at the split, I thought the bees could well have swarmed with her, as they could make another queen.
I’m seeking the best way forward to avoid swarming, given the huge number of flyers in the hive.
 
Mine are local mongrels, a bit of a mix of orange and dark. The queen is a Buckfast.
I sought further advice on here, as I am unsure that the advice I followed will result in the colony not swarming with the new queen after she has laid eggs.
Had I introduced her immediately at the split, I thought the bees could well have swarmed with her, as they could make another queen.
I’m seeking the best way forward to avoid swarming, given the huge number of flyers in the hive.
Most methods to introduce a new queen into a colony work until they don’t.
 
Most methods to introduce a new queen into a colony work until they don’t.
A few weeks ago - I made two out-of-area new queen introductions. I followed the instructions dutifully step-by-step for the first hive; and because of circumstances didn't for the second hive. The first hive committed regicide; whereas, the second hive is buzzing (sic) along nicely.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top