Two Queen Hive

[Robbie & Jans Bees]

Having checked the hives on Sunday we dicovered two queens in hive 5 one which we marked in July and a new queen which had hatched sometime last week not sure whats going on plenty of eggs and grubs of all stages?

Also hive 2 which we added a frame of grubs from hive 1 three weeks ago now has a new queen.

 

[enrico]

Is the queen in hive 2 mated? If so.....well done!

 

[drstitson]

"not sure whats going on"

supercedure


re other hive - not good prospects of her getting mated. how long will you leave before uniting the two?

 

[theengraver]

Multi queens in a single hive is what is known as
perfect supercedure the hive keep the original queen until there happy with the new queen the most queens i have found in one hive at the same time was 9 a week later there was only one. If the new queen is unmated or there not happy with her the hive will dispose of her shortly

 

[Robbie & Jans Bees]

Thanks its only our 2nd year I expect a lot of our questions are repeated and the old guys have been asked many times before.

 

[Poly Hive]

Just leave them alone.

I will not now be looking in hives until Spring, just hefting them to check for stores levels.

PH

 

[itma]

If I was in Cornwall (a bit milder than Derbyshire) and I had only put in a test frame three weeks ago, I'd be wanting to check that any new queen was producing worker brood.
But then again, I'd probably have gone with someone else's surplus queen rather than trying to get a queenless hive to sort itself out this late.
There's a few plainly wrong ways, but there's no single right one! Not for everyone in all circumstances, anyway ...

 

[Skyhook]

If I was in Cornwall (a bit milder than Derbyshire) and I had only put in a test frame three weeks ago, I'd be wanting to check that any new queen was producing worker brood.
But then again, I'd probably have gone with someone else's surplus queen rather than trying to get a queenless hive to sort itself out this late.
There's a few plainly wrong ways, but there's no single right one! Not for everyone in all circumstances, anyway ...

It surprises me how late bees seem to choose to supercede. It must work enough times out of 10, or they wouldn't do it. Just keep your fingers crossed for the weather.

 

[itma]

Supercedure is giving the colony an option - if it doesn't work out, there's still the old girl...
But a hive that is queenless doesn't have that 'fall-back option'.

While I wouldn't feel the need to poke about in the supercedure hive, I'd think it worth making sure that the q- hive becomes queenright (and so producing worker brood). More intervention might still be required for the previously q- colony. And keeping an ear open for neighbours and pals still planning unites could provide important info.

 

[For want of a better word]

Inspection of mating nucs that had queens removed [and now romping away in polly 6 framers] revealed open queen cells from the left behind brood & eggs and three with new black beauties of queens!
,,, weather still mild and other Cornish black colonies with plenty of drones......
I put the q- mating nucs atop the 6 framers so that the queens raisers can go home if they like..... now how is that for a "propper job" two queen system!