Kill or keep my new queen?

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Joined
Jul 31, 2012
Messages
79
Reaction score
4
Location
Northumberland
Hive Type
National
Number of Hives
3
I wonder if someone can advise me please.

I did an AS in June. The colony that hatched its new queen is thriving.
The bees in the swarm hive with the existing queen superseded her a few weeks later - she hatched mid-July.
This colony has not built up - there are four frames with brood and stores.

I have been advised to kill the new queen and re-unite the bees.
Or set up the new queen in a nuc and re-unite the remaining bees.

There are so few bees on so few frames can I not simply put the all of them into a nuc box and feed them? It seems a shame to kill the new queen.

Please note my northerly situation - I am in rural Northumberland. My bees are native black bees.
 
I think the suggestion is you keep this new new queen on a couple of frames of brood in a nuc and unite the rest. You have just said they are on 4 frames of BIAS, so not that 'weak' even with a six frame nuc they are going to need more space before winter (or spring as you call it up there :D)
 
Or sell it to jimmy bee who is looking for a queen on another current post!
 
I think the suggestion is you keep this new new queen on a couple of frames of brood in a nuc and unite the rest. You have just said they are on 4 frames of BIAS, so not that 'weak' even with a six frame nuc they are going to need more space before winter (or spring as you call it up there :D)

Excuse me but can you explain BIAS?

I now understand what I need to do - all I have to do now is catch HM!!
 
I wonder if someone can advise me please.

I did an AS in June. The colony that hatched its new queen is thriving.
The bees in the swarm hive with the existing queen superseded her a few weeks later - she hatched mid-July.
This colony has not built up - there are four frames with brood and stores. [ ... ]
My bees are native black bees.

If the new colony is thriving ... might not it be possible to simply transfer a frame of that brood (without bees, of course) back to the weaker colony ?

It's a judgement call, of course - you wouldn't want to unnecessarily weaken one colony to strengthen another - it really all depends on what you mean by 'thriving'. :)

My own AMM nucs are almost ready to go into an 8-frame situation - very pleased I made the decision to 'go native'.

LJ
 

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