Worker laying drone

[Bee’s Knees]

Thanks again for all the advice.

So my plan is to shake out all bees from queenless hive tomorrow. I will dismantle the hive and so there is no chance of anything returning.

I will leave it 2 days and put the hive back together and make up a split from my good hive.

Then I will in 2 further days time I will start the 10 day process of introducing the new queen, ensuring any queen cells are destroyed before being released into the hive.

Does that sound right?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Then I will in 2 further days time I will start the 10 day process of introducing the new queen,

what!?
All you need to do is make up a nuc from the Q+ hive once the new queen has arrived and immediately introduce her into it, with the candy covered with a piece of tape. this time of year I would also put a few pints of 1:1 syrup on the nuc to keep them busy. The day after that, go back into the nuc, quick check in case there are any QCs (I've never encountered that though) and if the bees are settled, remove the protective tape, close up, top up the syrup and leave them sort themselves out. Go in a couple of days after again, but only to check whether they've released her and to remove the introduction cage, give it another week again before making a quick check for fresh eggs.

 

[jeff33]

what!?

Give him some slack, he must have been watching Laurence's videos with a 15 days time lapse between a nuc being made and a queen being released.

 

[Bee’s Knees]

Hi Jenkins

The reason I was planning to do it that way was because I am will be using the same hive as a nuc for the new queen that is currently the hive with laying workers.

 

[Bee’s Knees]

Give him some slack, he must have been watching Laurence's videos with a 15 days time lapse between a nuc being made and a queen being released.

Jeff, you are absolutely right!
Is that overkill?

 

[jeff33]

Jeff, you are absolutely right!
Is that overkill?

Yes, a lot of unnecessary faff so he can make his videos longer, add more ads and cash in..... but that's me being cynical . Do as JBM said.

 

[jeff33]

Hi Jenkins

The reason I was planning to do it that way was because I am will be using the same hive as a nuc for the new queen that is currently the hive with laying workers.

Do everything at the same time, well 1 after the other so the shake out will bolster your nuc. You don't want to deplete your good hive of too much resources so early in the season.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

shake them out ASAP, then when you get the new queen put the new nuc (if you can) in a different location, preferably over three feet away from where the hive was originally. the shaken out bees will have settled in the other hive by that time and the queen pheromone in there will have killed their laying urge

 

[Bee’s Knees]

Do everything at the same time, well 1 after the other so the shake out will bolster your nuc. You don't want to deplete your good hive of too much resources so early in the season.

My concern is this isn’t a normal split. I would be shaking out laying workers into the new nuke. I am worried this coins cause an issue?

My good hive is absolutely packed and will probably need some type of swarm prevention very soon anyway.

 

[Erichalfbee]

My concern is this isn’t a normal split. I would be shaking out laying workers into the new nuke. I am worried this coins cause an issue?

But you aren't shaking bees out into the new nuc are you?
Shake bees out.
Remove their hive....go away and give it a clean or something
Take it back the day your new queen arrives but don't put it where it was...put it somewhere else.
The bees you have shaken out are now part of your other colony snd are absolutely no risk at all
Make up a nuc and introduce the queen straight away....as JBM says

 

[Bee’s Knees]

But you aren't shaking bees out into the new nuc are you?
Shake bees out.
Remove their hive....go away and give it a clean or something
Take it back the day your new queen arrives but don't put it where it was...put it somewhere else.
The bees you have shaken out are now part of your other colony snd are absolutely no risk at all
Make up a nuc and introduce the queen straight away....as JBM says

Yes that was the way I was thinking of doing it.
Thank you everyone for your advice.

 

[Bee’s Knees]

Yes, a lot of unnecessary faff so he can make his videos longer, add more ads and cash in..... but that's me being cynical . Do as JBM said.

One more question,

Is two days definitely enough time to release the queen safely?

 

[Erichalfbee]

One more question,

Is two days definitely enough time to release the queen safely?

You don’t release her. You let the bees do that.

 

[pargyle]

You don’t release her. You let the bees do that.

As long as you remember to remove the tab on the queen cage (mea culpa !). You only do it once ....

 

[jeff33]

One more question,

Is two days definitely enough time to release the queen safely?

Yes, you don't release her, you only remove the plastic tab protecting the fondant after 24h (you live the queen in her cage inside the hive in between 2 frames). Leave her attendants in ... others will disagree on that one.

 

[ericbeaumont]

absolutely packed and will probably need some type of swarm prevention very soon

How is the hive set up?

If on a single BB, give another now. Always give laying space and nectar space ahead of need and do not let the bees conclude that they've reached maturity. If they do, the swarm switch clicks on and cannot be switched off.

If you split, or nuc the queen, or AS, you will need enough frames, floors, nuc boxes and so on to carry out this work, and to upgrade the new nuc. By mid-summer you may wonder if you have too many bees. If so, ask again how to resolve that dilemma.

Is two days definitely enough time to release the queen safely?

Nothing in beekeeping is certain. Let us know the outcome when you check after a while.

 

[Bee’s Knees]

How is the hive set up?

If on a single BB, give another now. Always give laying space and nectar space ahead of need and do not let the bees conclude that they've reached maturity. If they do, the swarm switch clicks on and cannot be switched off.

If you split, or nuc the queen, or AS, you will need enough frames, floors, nuc boxes and so on to carry out this work, and to upgrade the new nuc. By mid-summer you may wonder if you have too many bees. If so, ask again how to resolve that dilemma.


Nothing in beekeeping is certain. Let us know the outcome when you check after a while.

They are on 14x12 so hopefully enough space. I added a super today just to make them feel like they have got enough space. Not sure if that was correct but there are already six full frames of brood.
I dismantled my hive other hive today and they got all the bees from that too. Although I will be taking two frames of brood from them for my split when the new queen arrives so that will set them back a bit.


The hive gets full sun all day and as it’s a WBC I wonder if the extra insulation has meant they have been able to get off to an earlier start.

Will let you know how my split and queen introduction goes.

 

[Ian123]

The hive gets full sun all day and as it’s a WBC I wonder if the extra insulation has meant they have been able to get off to an earlier start.

Your hives doing well it’s in a nice warm spot, wbc hives are nice and dry but in terms of insulation offer very little benefit.