Mrs Nasty finally dispatched. Now what?

[Aneebe]

Well, after commenting recently here that I couldn't find the black queen in my very defensive colony, praise be I finally came across her today and took the opportunity to dispatch her. They are nuts so glad she's gone.
I'd love some advice please on what my options are now given that it's the 22nd August. It's a single colony on double brood (sadly she was a super layer). It's in an isolated location but it's a small area in a dip so hard to move a nuc more than 2 metres away at a push. Loads of bees, lots of frames with brood. Could I divide this into 2 or even 3 and introduce new mated queens? I have 2 other garden-type sites but given as the bees are so fiesty, is moving advisable? I mainly have Buckfasts but seem to remember reading that it's harder to requeen blacks with these. What would you do? I'm a fan of using press-in cages to requeen.

 

[Michael Palmer]

Do you have access to a mated queen? How soon can you get one?

 

[Penninetrader]

Well, after commenting recently here that I couldn't find the black queen in my very defensive colony, praise be I finally came across her today and took the opportunity to dispatch her. They are nuts so glad she's gone.
I'd love some advice please on what my options are now given that it's the 22nd August. It's a single colony on double brood (sadly she was a super layer). It's in an isolated location but it's a small area in a dip so hard to move a nuc more than 2 metres away at a push. Loads of bees, lots of frames with brood. Could I divide this into 2 or even 3 and introduce new mated queens? I have 2 other garden-type sites but given as the bees are so fiesty, is moving advisable? I mainly have Buckfasts but seem to remember reading that it's harder to requeen blacks with these. What would you do? I'm a fan of using press-in cages to requeen.

I recently bought in 2 mated queens. One of these was to solve the problem of being hopelessly queenless on a good sized colony, so far they have been hopeless. I paid a premium from a good supplier, I thought, but thus far they are duffers. As for your blacks, nasty or otherwise, you have a bit of gold there if you can requeen into a few nucs. Smaller colonies are generally less fiesty. I think your main problem will be queens, the very best of luck.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Well, after commenting recently here that I couldn't find the black queen in my very defensive colony, praise be I finally came across her today and took the opportunity to dispatch her. They are nuts so glad she's gone.
I'd love some advice please on what my options are now given that it's the 22nd August. It's a single colony on double brood (sadly she was a super layer). It's in an isolated location but it's a small area in a dip so hard to move a nuc more than 2 metres away at a push. Loads of bees, lots of frames with brood. Could I divide this into 2 or even 3 and introduce new mated queens? I have 2 other garden-type sites but given as the bees are so fiesty, is moving advisable? I mainly have Buckfasts but seem to remember reading that it's harder to requeen blacks with these. What would you do? I'm a fan of using press-in cages to requeen.

For heaven's sake don't put a Buckfast in there as they are
Make two new hives with just the brood and adhering bees. Requeen but I would now wait till they were hopelessly queen less. Leave the nasty flying bees with one frame of brood to let them raise their own then dispatch her before uniting with one of the others.
If you can't be bothered with all that just spread the brood around your other colonies leaving the remaining bees to make a new queen and unite with somebody else

 

[Aneebe]

I recently bought in 2 mated queens. One of these was to solve the problem of being hopelessly queenless on a good sized colony, so far they have been hopeless. I paid a premium from a good supplier, I thought, but thus far they are duffers. As for your blacks, nasty or otherwise, you have a bit of gold there if you can requeen into a few nucs. Smaller colonies are generally less fiesty. I think your main problem will be queens, the very best of luck.

Thank you. I totally agree. I made up nucs last August and bought a number of queens. 100% awful. Same supplier as I always use. Just cannot understand why they were suddenly bad. I'm nervous to throw more money away but I need to get my colony numbers up.

 

[Aneebe]

For heaven's sake don't put a Buckfast in there as they are
Make two new hives with just the brood and adhering bees. Requeen but I would now wait till they were hopelessly queen less. Leave the nasty flying bees with one frame of brood to let them raise their own then dispatch her before uniting with one of the others.
If you can't be bothered with all that just spread the brood around your other colonies leaving the remaining bees to make a new queen and unite with somebody else

Bingo. Thank you! I went round in circles last night overthinking this. I knew they'd clobber a Buckie as they were. I do so love this forum. That's a plan then. Fingers crossed that I source a decent queen.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Bingo. Thank you! I went round in circles last night overthinking this. I knew they'd clobber a Buckie as they were. I do so love this forum. That's a plan then. Fingers crossed that I source a decent queen.

If you want Buckies I have never had a bad one from BS and they still have queens. I have one from Laurence and she has been good too

 

[Aneebe]

If you want Buckies I have never had a bad one from BS and they still have queens. I have one from Laurence and she has been good too

Thank you again

 

[Ely]

If you want Buckies I have never had a bad one from BS and they still have queens. I have one from Laurence and she has been good too

I have one on the way from Laurence at Black Mountain Honey to requeen a nasty and flighty colony from a split earlier in the season. The last one I bought is producing lovely calm bees.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I have one on the way from Laurence at Black Mountain Honey to requeen a nasty and flighty colony from a split earlier in the season. The last one I bought is producing lovely calm bees.

I made a nuc up from his last year. No swarm preps this year and a decent amount of honey considering the weather.

 

[Amari]

Thank you. I totally agree. I made up nucs last August and bought a number of queens. 100% awful. Same supplier as I always use. Just cannot understand why they were suddenly bad. I'm nervous to throw more money away but I need to get my colony numbers up.

Which supplier was that - do let on?!!
For several years I have been buying buckies from https://www.bhpqueens.co.uk/ and always found them calm and good producers.

 

[Beth]

I've used BS for Buckfast queens. Very pleased.

 

[Aneebe]

I have one on the way from Laurence at Black Mountain Honey to requeen a nasty and flighty colony from a split earlier in the season. The last one I bought is producing lovely calm bees.

I have ordered. Thank you for the recommendation

 

[Aneebe]

Which supplier was that - do let on?!!
For several years I have been buying buckies from https://www.bhpqueens.co.uk/ and always found them calm and good producers.

I'd best not. I'll just try another source and spread my risk.

 

[Aneebe]

I made a nuc up from his last year. No swarm preps this year and a decent amount of honey considering the weather.

Ordered!

 

[Aneebe]

Do you have access to a mated queen? How soon can you get one?

Michael yes. I'm sorted thank you. I was getting prepared to do your fail safe "sieve" method which has been so useful in the past and which Ive shsred with a few fellow beeks here. As it was she just appeared in front of me. Ta-da! I generally have calm bees but inherited these loonies and they've been an experience I can tell you despite their relatively big honey crop. Hopefully I can get a good result. I'll try and post the outcome in due course.

 

[Michael Palmer]

Michael yes. I'm sorted thank you. I was getting prepared to do your fail safe "sieve" method which has been so useful in the past and which Ive shsred with a few fellow beeks here. As it was she just appeared in front of me. Ta-da! I generally have calm bees but inherited these loonies and they've been an experience I can tell you despite their relatively big honey crop. Hopefully I can get a good result. I'll try and post the outcome in due course.

Good luck

 

[Penninetrader]

Bingo. Thank you! I went round in circles last night overthinking this. I knew they'd clobber a Buckie as they were. I do so love this forum. That's a plan then. Fingers crossed that I source a decent queen.

Presently doing the overthinking bit mesen

 

[Aneebe]

Just dropping back here to give an update on my lively bees and their requeening. In the end I divided off the flying bees with a single frame as suggested and left them a single queen cell which should be emerging around today. OK it'll be a long shot to get anything worthwhile from them but I'm happy enough to have 2 nucs now each with a successfully (so far) introduced Buckfast queen. It was a double brood and I can bolster both nucs with donated frames so hopefully they'll be big enough. I'd some spare rodent mesh so got the tin snips out and made a few push in cages. Simple but effective and a lot cheaper than buying them. The bees actually excavated one of the queens out with no apparent ill effects. Two observations - new type of travel cage horrible to use. Couldn't sort the tabs at all and seemed to fall apart in my hands. Secondly, using a large clear, colourless bag to manipulate the queens onto frames is much easier than letting them fly to a bathroom window. Again another great tip gleamed from the forum. Thanks all.

 

[Swarm]

Sometimes emergency queens turn out to be exceptional.