Plans for 2018 advice please.

[Bakerbee]

I have 1 colony at the moment that is in need of requeening due to their bad behaviour. I have bought two new cedar hives as would not only like to requeen but also move colony into a new hive and also do some sort of split to create 2 colonies. Ive read alot about various ways of doing this but as a neww bee am unsure ehich method to choose to have best success. Im in no rush to create the two colonies but do want to requeen as soon as i can due to their unpleasent manner. (We bought the colony of a chap getting out of the game last year, so sure theyre grumpy prolific mongrols the hive has been protected for winter and bees are doing fine but replacing hive and frames is essential for next year)

 

[enrico]

The first thing to do is decide where you are going to source your queens from, one or two options are available on this forum.
I would not suggest you do it from your old queen's progenies.
What I would do is buy two queens in and just before they arrive, split your hive into two and remove old queen. Introduce two new queens and let them build up through the year. Honey is unlikely.
I repeat this is what I would do but look at other ideas that will doubtless be put forward too.
E

 

[B+.]

I have 1 colony at the moment that is in need of requeening due to their bad behaviour. I have bought two new cedar hives as would not only like to requeen but also move colony into a new hive and also do some sort of split to create 2 colonies. Ive read alot about various ways of doing this but as a neww bee am unsure ehich method to choose to have best success. Im in no rush to create the two colonies but do want to requeen as soon as i can due to their unpleasent manner. (We bought the colony of a chap getting out of the game last year, so sure theyre grumpy prolific mongrols the hive has been protected for winter and bees are doing fine but replacing hive and frames is essential for next year)

I would recommend that you buy a good quality queen from a proven source. Then, create a nucleus using frames of brood and bees from your existing colony (if you can, place this on a different site to ensure you have young bees in the nucleus that have never flown). Ideally, introduce your new queen under a push-in cage so she has a chance to lay some eggs and become established before she is released from the cage.
This would mean workers from the old queen would help to get your new queen established and, of course, will continue to be "grumpy" until the new queens progeny take over.

This option allows you to set up a new colony before you deal with the old one, whereas Enricos approach is more of an all-or-nothing suggestion. Its your choice whether you risk all or take a safer step-by-step approach. As you only have one colony, I would recommend the safer approach.

 

[Bakerbee]

I was going to order from exmoorbees as they sound responsibly breed and after looking round they are the only ones i can find to be produced in the uk and not brought in from other countries. I would have looked for a local queen but my local bee club has just folded in unfortunatly, so am looking to find a new club near me but think it prudent to get on and order one or two , to ensure i secure a queen/s asap. I did think of splitting and going with 2 new queens but have read mongrels can be reluctant to accept a new queen. I suppose either way i do have to get these grumpy little ******'s to accept a queen either way.

 

[Millet]

I was going to order from exmoorbees as they sound responsibly breed and after looking round they are the only ones i can find to be produced in the uk and not brought in from other countries. I would have looked for a local queen but my local bee club has just folded in unfortunatly, so am looking to find a new club near me but think it prudent to get on and order one or two , to ensure i secure a queen/s asap. I did think of splitting and going with 2 new queens but have read mongrels can be reluctant to accept a new queen. I suppose either way i do have to get these grumpy little ******'s to accept a queen either way.

If you have a good shop around you will find that there is quite a few UK Queen breeders you wont go wrong with exmoor bees though..

 

[For want of a better word]

If you have a good shop around you will find that there is quite a few UK Queen breeders you wont go wrong with exmoor bees though..

( nearest to St George I could find!!)
And not imported from Wompopoland and sold as UK bred!

Yeghes da

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

( nearest to St George I could find!!)

Who was either Greek,Syrian or Turkish - good move!

 

[B+.]

Who was either Greek,Syrian or Turkish - good move!

....a bit far to come to slay the (Welsh) dragon though! ;-)

 

[For want of a better word]

....a bit far to come to slay the (Welsh) dragon though! ;-)

Thought it was a Griffon... not a Dragon?

Yeghes da

 

[Swarm]

How about another suggestion...
Queen arrives. Inspect your colony and find your old queen, remove her and the frame she is on and place in nuc for safe keeping. Go through the frames and remove sealed, emerging brood and put these in a new hive in a new location. Leave eggs and open brood in the original location and share the stores frames between the two. Dummy down with wide follower boards/ make up frame deficit and return the Queen to her hive.
Your new hive, in a different location will be shedding flying bees as they make their way back 'home' so will be left with house bees who will realise by now that they are queenless so you can introduce your new queen, in her cage. I would leave the tab in place for a couple of days with a bought in queen, no point being cavalier only to get her killed. Judge their mood next time you visit, if they are over the cage, attempting to feed and you can move them aside fairly easily with your finger, snap the tab off and replace her. If they are all over it and difficult to move, give them more time.
If all is well (more than likely) and you remove the tab, the bees will be through the candy plug and have her out of there in no time. Allow a couple of days and have a look at the cage, you should see they've released her. Very carefully inspect the frames for evidence of laying or the queen, a fat, orange Buckfast should be easy to spot. Happy days, close up carefully and allow a couple of weeks before going through them again.
Meanwhile, having ordered another queen, kill your old queen. A week later return and break down emergency cells. When hopelessly queenless, introduce your new queen same as before.
Feed if necessary, to draw comb but don't overdo it.
Doing this early in the season and having been split, naughty bees or not, there will be less of them so easier on you and your nerves. Chances are you will get honey as well.
Good luck.

 

[Millet]

I like reading advice from someone actually knows what they are on about and willing to help without trying to belittle or take the pee..good on you.

 

[drex]

Is the old queen marked? If not, I suggest you mark her early in season before bee numbers get too big. Once marked she will be easier to find when you do come to having to replace her.

If at that time the bees are too hot to handle comfortably, I suggest you move the hive about 10 yards away on a good flying day, and put an empty hive on the original site. Leave it for a few hours. That way the flying bees, which tend to be the stingers, will all be in the new box, and you will be able to inspect the old box more comfortably, and remove old queen.
Good methods of introducing new queens already been suggested

 

[Bakerbee]

Thanks swarm, great explanation that im going to follow. Can i ask do you use the dummy boards reducing space for helping them keep the heat in? If not why not just fill up empty space with new foundation?

 

[Swarm]

Thanks swarm, great explanation that im going to follow. Can i ask do you use the dummy boards reducing space for helping them keep the heat in? If not why not just fill up empty space with new foundation?

Depends on timing and your current queen. You could be carrying this out quite early, depending where you obtain your queens so a colony six brood combs strong will end up as two little more than nucs. You could add some foundation for them to draw but the wide follower boards (fit from crown board to mesh) just reduces the cavity to something they can manage while being in their hive. Giving more space by removing one or two of these is much easier than moving from hive to nuc to hive. You will have to judge their needs when it becomes time, she could be laying like a train.