Fiesty hive best way to requeen opinions

[Natureboy44]

New queen local mated from April this year in this hive and it's become a real pain to inspect, it's done well and produced 3 supers in the summer crop 2 supers are still on the hive right now. It's very heavily populated with bees and has gradually become more aggressive over time, recently when I put a clearing board in to remove a super I had bees jumping onto my gloves immediately stinging and many more after me jumping off the frames making the task a bit daunting and far from enjoyable. I want to re-queen it but not sure the best way to go about it? BS honey bees have Buckfast Queens available until the end of September but am wandering best way to get a new queen in this hive accepted, supers off and old queen out.

 

[Speybee]

I have had recent experience of requeening on Sunday.
This is what I did.
1) Final inspection before ordering new mated queen, checking for queen cups/ cells, laying workers, frames of sealed brood
( marked with pins) and existing queen.
2) Ordered new mated caged queen and once postie delivered her,I
3) Inspected again, removing any more queen cups and found queen and placed her in a queen clip with a trip to the freezer.
4) Left colony queenless for at least 24 to 36 hours prior to
5) Removing tab of cage containing the queen and her attendants ( whom I kept with her in the cage)
6) Pushed the cage between two frames of sealed brood with nurse bees.
7) Closed up colony and updated my bee record for that Nuc/ hive.
I am leaving her for 10 to 14 days before I check if she’s alive and accepted.

 

[enrico]

New queen local mated from April this year in this hive and it's become a real pain to inspect, it's done well and produced 3 supers in the summer crop 2 supers are still on the hive right now. It's very heavily populated with bees and has gradually become more aggressive over time, recently when I put a clearing board in to remove a super I had bees jumping onto my gloves immediately stinging and many more after me jumping off the frames making the task a bit daunting and far from enjoyable. I want to re-queen it but not sure the best way to go about it? BS honey bees have Buckfast Queens available until the end of September but am wandering best way to get a new queen in this hive accepted, supers off and old queen out.

Personally I would be leaving them to next spring. If it all goes wrong you will have a queen less hive. I would remove the supers and leave them alone until next year. If you have more than one hive despatch the queen in spring when she is easy to find and their temperament will be better and combine immediately.

 

[enrico]

I have had recent experience of requeening on Sunday.
This is what I did.
1) Final inspection before ordering new mated queen, checking for queen cups/ cells, laying workers, frames of sealed brood
( marked with pins) and existing queen.
2) Ordered new mated caged queen and once postie delivered her,I
3) Inspected again, removing any more queen cups and found queen and placed her in a queen clip with a trip to the freezer.
4) Left colony queenless for at least 24 to 36 hours prior to
5) Removing tab of cage containing the queen and her attendants ( whom I kept with her in the cage)
6) Pushed the cage between two frames of sealed brood with nurse bees.
7) Closed up colony and updated my bee record for that Nuc/ hive.
I am leaving her for 10 to 14 days before I check if she’s alive and accepted.

Don't take her to the freezer. Kill her as soon as you see her! Too easy to lose her, been there and done that!

 

[Speybee]

Don't take her to the freezer. Kill her as soon as you see her! Too easy to lose her, been there and done that!

I’m too much of a feartie to kill her.....or anything for that matter that involves a direct hit./skoosh.

 

[Speybee]

Don't take her to the freezer. Kill her as soon as you see her! Too easy to lose her, been there and done that!

Just had a lightbulb moment, will get Mr Speybee to dob her in next time,

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I wouldn't leave them queenless for 24 hours, as soon as the old queen is out, the new queen goes in.
But back to the OP, I would not make a judgement of the current queen's temperament at this time of the year, with a honey crop to protect, wasps around colonies, in general are more agressive than at other times. The time for weekly inspections is long past To be honest I've hardly inspected any of my colonies for over four weeks.
Wait until spring - too much can go wrong at this time of year and with little time left to repair any damage

 

[Natureboy44]

Thanks for the advice

I was ideally hoping to sort now before next spring, but had thought maybe that's probably the best action and advice I might get. I do have two other smaller colonies better behaved and seem to be doing well to fall back on, but this is by far the largest and possibly more bees in there than the other 2 combined, I would be willing to take the loss/risk on this as I could possibly unite/strengthen one or both of the smaller colonies if it fails.

 

[user 819]

If swapping laying Q for laying Q, I remove the incumbent and add the usurper straight away, I dunk her in honey and make sure she is well coated then plonk her on the top bars. By the time she is cleaned up the bees are non the wiser and except her, the honey disguises her different pheromones.

 

[drex]

I agree that bees are often more aggressive at this time of year and it would be better to do this in spring. However if you are determined to go ahead, I would moe the brood box several metres away and leave the supers on original site. The flying aggressive bees will leave the brood and fly back to the supers, so after a few hours it will be easier to find the queen.
Introduce the queen using your favoured method. Everyone will have different ideas on this.

 

[Hachi]

Thanks for the advice

I was ideally hoping to sort now before next spring, but had thought maybe that's probably the best action and advice I might get. I do have two other smaller colonies better behaved and seem to be doing well to fall back on, but this is by far the largest and possibly more bees in there than the other 2 combined, I would be willing to take the loss/risk on this as I could possibly unite/strengthen one or both of the smaller colonies if it fails.

You've made your decision so, go get em tiger. Let us know how you get on

 

[Malcolm Stamp]

What works for me is to break the hive apart and reassemble the supers on the hive stand, take the brood box at least 20 feet away to a table. Leave them alone there for them minutes to settle and the flying bees to go back to the old stand. Then I go through the brood box but as I inspect the frames I hold them over a plastic trug so that if the queen drops off she is not in the brood box but accessible to deal with in the Trug. I found this method so effective I tend to use it whenever I want to find a queen angry or not.

 

[bobthecob]

I do have two other smaller colonies better behaved and seem to be doing well to fall back on

Bigger hives are, on average, more likely to be aggressive, in my experience. Especially at this time of year. I wouldn't kill a queen that has been so successful just based on what the hive is like in August/September, under full wasp attack. See what they are like in Spring.

 

[Swarm]

Bigger hives are, on average, more likely to be aggressive, in my experience. Especially at this time of year. I wouldn't kill a queen that has been so successful just based on what the hive is like in August/September, under full wasp attack. See what they are like in Spring.

If she is unacceptable next year, consider raising a queen from one of your good colonies? It's far more rewarding.

 

[madasafish]

If she is unacceptable next year, consider raising a queen from one of your good colonies? It's far more rewarding.

Beware: Queen rearing can be frustrating and highly addictive...