Introducing new queen for second time!

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Russ

New Bee
Joined
Jan 8, 2009
Messages
15
Reaction score
0
Location
surrey/kent border
Hive Type
14x12
Number of Hives
3
Hi There

Would appreciate some advice. A couple of weeks ago I tried to change my Queen. I followed the advice I had been given to the letter, removing my old queen about five hours before hand,then putting my new queen in a bickerstaffes introduction cage placed on sealed brood, leaving it for five days. However when I went into the hive the introduction had clearly failed. No sign of queen or eggs!
I have now ordered another queen arriving this week, but am worried the same thing might happen again.
Do I stand more chance as the colony has now been queenless for two weeks and go down the same route, or should I make up a nucleus with nurse bees and introduce the queen to that? If so when should I combine the nuc with the original hive? Am conscious that the colony will have been queenless for a considerable time if I employ this method

Thanks Russ
 
.
When you kill the present queen, it is not automatic that bees like the new one. Nothing helps sometimes BUT when they have capped their own queen cells, then they are quite neutral to take new queen.

When you give the queen cage to bees, it is a good sign if they do not pay much attention to queen. If bees bite with jaws the cage, the queen is in the danger.

This time of summer laying queen is valuable. Almost idiotic sure method is to make a nucleus over the main hive. Put entrance to opposite direction. Put a screen between hive and the nucleus. Put into nucleus frames where new bees are emerging. Shake all adult bees off.

CLOSE ALL HOLES! in the nuc. Put the queen inside and let them be there 3 days. New bees have emerged quite much and the queen lays. Trough the screen the nuc get same odor as downstairs.

If the nuc has some hole, first the queen escapes and then robbers may enter to the nuc.

*******

Yesterday I offered the queenm to the hive whose virgin queen I killed. They stung the new queen.

Now I wait a week that they capp their emergency cells and then I offer the new laying queen.
 
What happens to the queens in the emergency cells, do you remove them or does the laying queen destroy them?

It is good, if the new queen destroyes them, if not, then you have to.
She destroyes is better because she find them all.
 

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