Requeening. First stage done

[Stiffy]

Please, allow me (I liked the simplicity of it)







Not appropriate for the OP perhaps because of the location, but I will likely try with one of mine that is rather tetchy, and with a difficult (To me) to find queen.

This works a treat but I would also add, check the queen excluder when separating as she is often trying to get through. If you don't she will be back in brood before you know it!
S


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[tudorcd]

jbm, it must be in my genes.
I prefer to get an assassin to dispose of the queen and do whatever is necessary after that ...
And use a mated queen when there is a good reason.

 

[oliver90owner]

That is why you remove only the top brood box the following day. The queen will not be on the excluder for long, even if she was there initially. Simple understanding of bee behaviour.

 

[REDWOOD]

Just here to say that an introduction of a new queen went well last sunday in a psycho hive from hell and the new queen is laying well, so in 6 weeks all the defencive bees will have died and replaced with orange coloured Exmoor bees.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Just here to say that an introduction of a new queen went well last sunday in a psycho hive from hell and the new queen is laying well, so in 6 weeks all the defencive bees will have died and replaced with orange coloured Exmoor bees.

no messing around - even after an unplanned 36 hour delay between removing old queen and introducing new one, worked a treat - bees already calming down.

 

[Goran]

For finding a queen someone told me: place frame with open brood from another hive. Come after one hour and she will be on that frame.
Today I played some, in 2 mnucs I torn qcells and smoked them hard ( I think I read it on this forum or so) - added queens direct on the frame. Later on when checked, queens normally walk among bees in mnucs.

 

[Obee1]

Well yesterday morning 11am I moved the hive and left a new hive back at original location for flyers. That manipulation sent them ballistic and they practically burrowed holes through my marigolds trying to sting. Took about 20 stings to my hands. - but the suit held up ok. At this point I decided beeking is not for me! A few hours. Just like childbirth, the pain is forgotten and by 2pm I told OH that he had to help me find meangreenqueen. So we searched through the moved hive. Still not nice bees but an improvement on earlier. Looked through every frame -all 33. Saw eggs but no queen. Split the frames into pairs spread around many boxes. Retreated for coffee. Came back. Many boxes of queenless bees and one queen-right. We hope. But which one is it? Searched every box and frame again looking first in the dark middle part first. No queen. Repeated. No queen. Retreated for coffee. Then decided to try RABs suggestion. Took two brood frames and put on a new floor. Made a funnel out of another hive body and shook every damn bee in. There were many in the air by now. Then shook bees off 'funnel' into the bottom box. QE on rebuilt hive with empty frames and beeless boxes. Crownboard. Roof. Had a coffee. And that is how they are this morning. Foragers in new hive on original site, original hive with queen is on its new spot. and I need to go look between those two frames down at the bottom of the hive. Today. Sometime. If that fails I will rebuild the hive with QE between each box and see where eggs get laid. It's possible she may have got dropped in all the hoohaa. And the really annoying part is that I found her on my last inspection without even trying!
At least OH now appreciates that buying so much bee kit was necessary.

 

[tudorcd]

Just here to say that an introduction of a new queen went well last sunday in a psycho hive from hell and the new queen is laying well, so in 6 weeks all the defencive bees will have died and replaced with orange coloured Exmoor bees.

Probably closer to 8 weeks as workers from already laid eggs still to develop and emerge.
Are the bees already more settled ?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

yes they are - no meeters and greeters any more and no serious followers

 

[Tremyfro]

Well yesterday morning 11am I moved the hive and left a new hive back at original location for flyers. That manipulation sent them ballistic and they practically burrowed holes through my marigolds trying to sting. Took about 20 stings to my hands. - but the suit held up ok. At this point I decided beeking is not for me! A few hours. Just like childbirth, the pain is forgotten and by 2pm I told OH that he had to help me find meangreenqueen. So we searched through the moved hive. Still not nice bees but an improvement on earlier. Looked through every frame -all 33. Saw eggs but no queen. Split the frames into pairs spread around many boxes. Retreated for coffee. Came back. Many boxes of queenless bees and one queen-right. We hope. But which one is it? Searched every box and frame again looking first in the dark middle part first. No queen. Repeated. No queen. Retreated for coffee. Then decided to try RABs suggestion. Took two brood frames and put on a new floor. Made a funnel out of another hive body and shook every damn bee in. There were many in the air by now. Then shook bees off 'funnel' into the bottom box. QE on rebuilt hive with empty frames and beeless boxes. Crownboard. Roof. Had a coffee. And that is how they are this morning. Foragers in new hive on original site, original hive with queen is on its new spot. and I need to go look between those two frames down at the bottom of the hive. Today. Sometime. If that fails I will rebuild the hive with QE between each box and see where eggs get laid. It's possible she may have got dropped in all the hoohaa. And the really annoying part is that I found her on my last inspection without even trying!
At least OH now appreciates that buying so much bee kit was necessary.

Have you found Meangreenqueen yet?
Im waiting to hear when my queens are on their way to me.
Sounds like total warfare at your place!

 

[Obee1]

Have you found Meangreenqueen yet?
Im waiting to hear when my queens are on their way to me.
Sounds like total warfare at your place!

No not found her yet. The hunt resumes today. Very frustrating as my newbie queen is laying eggs nicely in her nuc and is just waiting for vacant possession of Meangreens throne.
Also awaiting another queen due to replace meangreens daughter and will have to do this all over again.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

As I said - don't faff around with the nuc - do the introduction in one. When you finally found the queen you're currently searching for - keep her in the freezer - when time comes to find next queen, take frozen queen out and leave on top of one of the frames - apparently very soon after the queen will come up to give her a hard time.

 

[Tremyfro]

As I said - don't faff around with the nuc - do the introduction in one. When you finally found the queen you're currently searching for - keep her in the freezer - when time comes to find next queen, take frozen queen out and leave on top of one of the frames - apparently very soon after the queen will come up to give her a hard time.

I hadn't heard of doing this....but makes a lot of sense.

 

[tudorcd]

yes they are - no meeters and greeters any more and no serious followers

So that would suggest that the mated queen herself is influencing mood, which one might expect.
In the case of a cell, sometimes the same effect can be seen I.e. almost immediate, so the now dead laying queen contributed to the mood.
What would you think ?

 

[Obee1]

Jb
Yeh I'm thinking your method of introduction looks easier, but at £50 a pop new queens are expensive commodities. If it had been a freebie queen I would definitely do it your way.
How easily did you find your mean queen?

With regards to keeping mean green in freezer for future use. Assume she needs be unsquished. So you kill her placing in the freezer when alive? Is that a cruel slow death? Just wondering?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Jb
Yeh I'm thinking your method of introduction looks easier, but at £50 a pop new queens are expensive commodities. If it had been a freebie queen I would definitely do it your way.
How easily did you find your mean queen?

Introducing this way is no more risky than any other. It's all to do with taking your time and not rushing anything.
The problem with finding a queen in any agressive/busy hive is that there are a lot of bees rushing around distracting you. If you don't find her at the first pass, try again.If the first look on a frame you can't see her, give the frame a gentle shake to dislodge some of the bees and look again, then another little shake and so on - queens really hang on well. Do this for every frame, invariably she will be on the last frame

Jb
So you kill her placing in the freezer when alive? Is that a cruel slow death? Just wondering?

Nope - she just falls asleep and then expires

So that would suggest that the mated queen herself
is influencing mood, which one might expect.
In the case of a cell, sometimes the same effect can be seen I.e. almost immediate, so the now dead laying queen contributed to the mood.
What would you think ?

I think that for some reason bees immediately sense the change - we noticed a change in the tone of this particular colony before we shut up after introduction.

 

[Obee1]

Guys. I found her. RABs method worked. She was in the bottom box between the only frames under the QE. Now leaving them queenless for a while before rebuilding with nuc joined by newspaper.
Success!

 

[BeeJayBee]

Guys. I found her. RABs method worked. She was in the bottom box between the only frames under the QE.

Excellent!

 

[oliver90owner]

The simple solutions are often the easiest. 1. moving the colony and 2. Finding the queen.

We have had umpteen pages of this saga on about three different threads over umpteen weeks. If only the simple approach was adhered to this could have been kept to about three pages at most.

It should demonstrate, admirably to other beginners, that beekeeping is simple but complicated by some beekeepers not thinking, or considering the options properly, or just ignoring good advice for as long as possible (until the hole is so deep that they can't imagine how else they can get out of it?).

 

[Obee1]

The simple solutions are often the easiest. 1. moving the colony and 2. Finding the queen.

We have had umpteen pages of this saga on about three different threads over umpteen weeks. If only the simple approach was adhered to this could have been kept to about three pages at most.

It should demonstrate, admirably to other beginners, that beekeeping is simple but complicated by some beekeepers not thinking, or considering the options properly, or just ignoring good advice for as long as possible (until the hole is so deep that they can't imagine how else they can get out of it?).

RAB if my threads are too numerous and long winded please feel free to ignore them.

I asked for advice on requeening a mean hive. No lack of thinking, considering options properly or ignoring good advice. no hole digging involved either. Just asking experienced Beeks for some advice, considering whether it made sense and then making a plan and following it through. Isn't that what the forum is for?