Ok, so I have a hive that is in 2 deeps right now. Not really any new eggs that I can see but a little capped brood and a lot of uncapped. The larva don't look so good. About 1 in 40 are dried up and I have a few mummies down at the bottom. I found the queen, she is big and looks totally healthy and all. I am thinking that I need to requeen. We get a pretty good last flow here at the end of August-September and I would like them to build up nice, get good stores for winter and end the season with that.
My other hive that is right next to them is cranking, I just took a deep off of honey, and they are filling a new one as we speak, last night when I checked they have all frames filled with nector already. (its been on about 4 days)
I have about 2 deeps of honey that I have pulled off my 2 hives but I have not extracted them yet as it is my first time down here in the vallley and I don't want to extract and then not actually get a flow. So I will keep those frames handy in case I need them.
So, I have a great queen that seems to be doing very well in a 4 frame nuc. She is off of my other hive that seems to have perfect habits and demeanor etc. I would like to pluck her out and get her in the other hive. I have queen cages and all, she is marked and ready to go.
So I have to just find the old queen, get her out, and get this other gal in there, right? I just thought that I would run all this by you guys and gals before I do this.
Should I save the old queen and see how she does in a new nuc? She is deffinately mated (she was huge). I have read that chaulk brood is not always a queen thing??
Let me know, all advise is appriciated.
F
If you're seeing chalkbrood now in Utah, yes, I would requeen. If it was early spring I'd move them into the sun and it will usually clear up shortly.
yea, I was really surprised to see the chaulk brood now. It is in a good spot and all, with good ventilation. I have the migratory cover back just enough to let them go in and out as well. So I was surprised.
F
Frantz, I have had issues with chalkbrood in the past. Requeen.....period. I have tried to "save" a chalkbrood colony, (actually a couple of times since my beekeeping beginning), didn't work until I got a new queen/s. You will soon be into wintertime, you need a good, young queen going into that season. They say the beekeepers next year begins in the fall. The queen must be the best that you can muster to come into spring to build up wonderful brood, a queen that may have chalkbrood issues is not what you want for spring build up, gotta think NOW about springtime which is just around the corner (hee, hee, imagine that, eh). Good luck, off with her head!!! Have the most wonderful and great day, Cindi
I concur with the requeening opinion, now is a great time to be doing that, queens are in better supply, and next spring they can start out with a good queen.
I had a hive last year that had some, not too bad, and I didn't worry about it. They did make it through the winter but it was bad this spring and they built up so terribly slow. I re-queened earlier this year but haven't gotten any surplus from them nor do I expect any.
Rick