Replace Blue Queen

[SteveG]

Hi,

I've a national hive with blue queen, slow to start the season, now with 3 frames of brood the rest mostly stores. I know I need to replace the queen, the question is how would you??
The bees are really calm and would like to use her eggs. No swarm cells todate.
Thanks

 

[Anduril]

Hi,

I've a national hive with blue queen, slow to start the season, now with 3 frames of brood the rest mostly stores. I know I need to replace the queen, the question is how would you??
The bees are really calm and would like to use her eggs. No swarm cells todate.
Thanks

Option 1) Buy a queen to replace her, after disposing of blue queen and removing queen cells.
Option 2) Demaree on of your other 4 hives to produce queen cells to introduce after disposing of blue queen and removing queen cells.
Option 3) Make up a strong queenless nuc with frames from all your hives to produce queen cells, once mated then add to blue queen hive, which you have made hopelessly queenless by disposing of the queen and use the newspaper method or air freshener.
Option 4) Dispose of blue queen and let them raise their own queen.

 

[Anduril]

Options 3 or 4 would do.
Option 3 using emerging brood and bees from your other colonies, no eggs. Frame of eggs from blue queen colony and bees, once mated combine with blue hive queen colony which you have made queenless.

 

[JWF]

Worth checking for varroa too, if they've been slow to build up

 

[SteveG]

Thanks, option 3 with Blue queen eggs sounds the one for me.
Varroa check carried out beginning of season, will double check.
thanks again.

 

[Anduril]

Thanks, option 3 with Blue queen eggs sounds the one for me.
Varroa check carried out beginning of season, will double check.
thanks again.

If there are any queen cells being drawn on the other frames destroy them.

 

[Michael Palmer]

Buy a mated queen from a top producer like HM, dispatch old queen, and use a push in cage.

 

[SteveG]

noted