Too late now for making increase?

[MattC]

After more advice from experienced beekeepers on here!

I AS'd my only colony late June. No sign of a laying queen and it must be nearly six weeks since emergence (which would have been in the middle of the wet weather). I've put a test frame in but strongly suspect will be queen -ve, so I'm preparing to merge the colonies next week.

My question is this- assuming the are QCs on the test frame, is it worth a last gamble on raising a new queen this late in the season? I'd move the test frame to a nuc with 2-3 frames stores and an additional frame of brood from the queen +ve colony (which is strong), and merge all the rest. I'll be staking 2 brood frames from the strong colony and a proportion of the bees from the queen -ve colony, in the hope of a last chance of making increase, which was one of my unmet beekeeping aims for this year...

I understand a successful mating early September will be fairly chancy, but perhaps going into winter with a single colony and an ageing queen isn't ideal either..?

 

[oliver90owner]

You could buy in a mated queen. Always a risk, more so with a colony that has been Q- for some time (read the other thread on at the moment?).

No guarantee of success for a strong colony into winter but with polynucs, it is easy to take a 6 frame colony through the winter.....

If Q-, it might be easier to unite now and then split it for introduction of the new queen. Like I say, still time but there are risks for the one hive owner that would not be encountered by those with several.

 

[chipper]

Last autumn I had an usually late swarm (1st October).
The Queen left behind mated during early October...
and has done well this season to my surprise.....
We do have mild autumns here...

 

[MattC]

Thanks for the replies. Weather looks like its turning messy again next week so maybe uniting now, splitting a week or so later and buying in a mated queen might be the most reliable option. Did want to increase with my own stock though...