How soon after split can you add new queen

[thebhoy]

I have a colony that I may have to split for swarm control.... Had initially thought of doing an AS and then splitting brood down into two nucs but going on holiday and may get too many QC's when away and lose too many bees.

So, as per title, if I split the colony in two as an AS, how soon after can I add a mated and laying queen to the queenless colony?

 

[Dishmop]

Straight away I assume, or just leave them to make ther own, but that depends on how fast you want them to build up.

 

[thebhoy]

Will be on holiday and won't have opportunity to reduce QC's after Monday night.
Can do split tomorrow and check it up to Monday but after that any additional cells would have a chance for developing queen to emerge.

That is my reason for wanting to add a mated queen asap.......just don't want to screw it up.

 

[Dishmop]

The Q less box will sort themselves out.
How long are you away for?

 

[thebhoy]

Two weeks.

My main worry is that if I leave them to it then several queens will emerge and the colony will swarm out, I was hoping to avoid this by adding a queen after the split with a view that they will no longer raise QC's and will settle down to establish themselves as a colony.

As I have a queen in a mating hive I thought I could use this to re-queen over the next couple of days.

 

[Dishmop]

As I have a queen in a mating hive I thought I could use this to re-queen over the next couple of days.

Problem solved then in my opinion...

Thats what she for after all.

 

[enrico]

My concern would be the queen right colony. If they are in swarming mood they will probably still swarm despite the split! You need to do a proper AS if that is the case!
E

 

[thebhoy]

Hi Enrico,

my thoughts were to do it as an AS and then add a queen to the queenless colony after doing the AS rather than leaving it to raise a new queen.

It was the timeline after the AS before I could add the new queen I am trying to ascertain.

Also the thoughts / suggestions from the forum guru' with the wealth of experience that can help point us mere mortals in the right direction.

 

[ratcatcher]

Hi Enrico,

my thoughts were to do it as an AS and then add a queen to the queenless colony after doing the AS rather than leaving it to raise a new queen.

It was the timeline after the AS before I could add the new queen I am trying to ascertain.

Also the thoughts / suggestions from the forum guru' with the wealth of experience that can help point us mere mortals in the right direction.

Im getting a little confused here, does the hive currently have queen cells??

otherwise, your not doing a "AS" your just doing a split, and then adding a queen to that split

so why after doing that, would you not still be worried that first hive will not swarm,

 

[thebhoy]

Hi Ratcatcher,

the last check on Monday had a couple of QC's with egg that I knocked down.
On previous inspection it had a few QC's where a few had eggs but the actual cell had holes in side of them.

Being uncertain whether they want to swarm or not, and with me going on holiday, I was looking at option of doing a full AS, with original colony put on foundation and the 'split' Brood being given a mated queen.

I will be checking them tomorrow night so was looking at this option, or, others from the more experienced beeks that would get me over the next two weeks.

I had also considered splitting the brood into two nuc boxes (at time of AS) and giving each a mated queen to try and reduce the loss potential if any wanted to swarm.

 

[Dishmop]

Thats a split.

 

[hedgehog66]

I just had a hive swarm, collected queen and flying bees, put in new box,
Original queenless hive, i pulled down all QCs and put mated queen in cage (from mini mating hive-was wondering what to do with her)
Checked 3 days later, queen released buy bees, no emergency cells, hive humming a very happy tune.
Imo, give it a go, nothing to lose

 

[thebhoy]

Hi hedgehog, appreciate your input, yours was after it swarmed and may have been easier to accept new queen.
I am trying to avoid a swarm with the thought of doing an AS and adding a new queen to the queenless half of the AS because I am short of time to keep the QC's under control.

 

[beeno]

Hi thebhoy,
I appreciate your predicament as you are off on holiday. I have a hive which has put one egg in a queen cup twice, which I duly removed, and they have not followed through with a charged queen cell. So, as they say 'it might never happen'. In the absence of not having someone to inspect for you during your holiday or having your holiday ruined by feeling you have done nothing this is what I might have done. Make up a nuc with old queen on the basis that she cannot swarm with nurse bees in the short run and put newly mated queen into parent hive hoping that she will produce enough pheromones to stop foragers swarming instinct. Perhaps some guru would be happy to comment on this as I personally have not had the opportunity to try it out in practice.

 

[thebhoy]

cheers Beeno,

intended to go tonight to check them but with weather so miserable it will have to be tomorrow.... will soon know if they have made up their minds.

They had been putting holes in the sides of any queen cups with an egg in it.. had put up a post about it a week or two ago as found it strange.

Had added another super on Monday night so will see if that has helped, if it hasn't there will be queen cells tomorrow and I will do an AS then split brood from queen-less hive into two nucs and move to another apiary for a couple of weeks as may be able to get someone there to check and knock QC's down for me.....

will keep you posted