How long to establish Queenlessness?

[Lesley Hoppy]

Two questions:
I have a colony I think is Queenless - and a nuc with a laying newly mated Queen. So this morning I put a frame of eggs and brood from the nuc into the suspected Queenless colony to see if they start to make Q cells ..... How long will this take?
If they do, I plan to combine the nuc with the laying Q with this colony ( after removing the frame with the Q cells - because I don't want another hive). How do I combine a polystyrene nuc with a WBC hive?
Many thanks in anticipation for all advice!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I'm not that deaf - I heard you the first time

 

[Erichalfbee]

Two questions:
I have a colony I think is Queenless - and a nuc with a laying newly mated Queen. So this morning I put a frame of eggs and brood from the nuc into the suspected Queenless colony to see if they start to make Q cells ..... How long will this take?
If they do, I plan to combine the nuc with the laying Q with this colony ( after removing the frame with the Q cells - because I don't want another hive). How do I combine a polystyrene nuc with a WBC hive?
Many thanks in anticipation for all advice!

You should be able to tell if queen cells are being made in three or four days....
Put your nuc frames into a WBC box, Dummy and unite as normal.
Remember, it's safer for the queen to put the weaker colony on top.

 

[Lesley Hoppy]

You should be able to tell if queen cells are being made in three or four days....
Put your nuc frames into a WBC box, Dummy and unite as normal.
Remember, it's safer for the queen to put the weaker colony on top.

By the weaker colony do you mean the nuc colony?
So the config would go; Queenless colony, Newspaper, Nuc colony with Queen (put into a brood box), Newspaper, Queen excluder, and the supers on top ?
Thats going to be a pretty high tower! I use 14x12 boxes and have 3 supers on at the mo!

 

[REDWOOD]

And if they don't, always have a backup plan

 

[Erichalfbee]

By the weaker colony do you mean the nuc colony?

Yes, especially as the queen is in there.
I usually put the queen right colony on the bottom but if you have there a small colony with a vast number of "foreign" bees breaking through to get out your queen may be at risk.