Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => REQUEENING & RAISING NEW QUEENS => Topic started by: Rich V on May 24, 2005, 06:13:29 PM

Title: Hive rejected new queen!
Post by: Rich V on May 24, 2005, 06:13:29 PM
Checked my East hive today. They killed the queen I put in last week.
I knew I'd be taking a big chance when I did it. I still have a second queen from Bee weaver. This time I'll move the hive a distance from the apiary,and remove all the bees, then install the queen. I hate to lose all them bees. Is there any way I can make use of them? How would they react if I put them into a differant hive?
Title: Hive rejected new queen!
Post by: Michael Bush on May 24, 2005, 06:46:43 PM
>They killed the queen I put in last week. I knew I'd be taking a big chance when I did it.

Is this a laying worker hive?  Why is it a big chance?

>I still have a second queen from Bee weaver. This time I'll move the hive a distance from the apiary,and remove all the bees, then install the queen.

If it's a laying worker, that might work, but usually doesn't.

>I hate to lose all them bees. Is there any way I can make use of them?

Sure.  Assuming a laying worker hive, shake them out on the ground and give all the combs to your other hives and let them all drift wherever they want.

>How would they react if I put them into a differant hive?

Carnage and destruction.  Unless you do a newspaper combine.  Again, assuming laying workers, they still might kill the queen in the queenright hive.  Personally, I'd remove all their equipment and then shake them out.
Title: Hive rejected new queen!
Post by: Jerrymac on May 24, 2005, 07:06:18 PM
OOps Ummm. If there is a laying worker and you place some brood into that hive, will they make a queen and keep her or should I dump the hive hoping to rid it of the misguided worker?
Title: Hive rejected new queen!
Post by: Michael Bush on May 25, 2005, 10:31:51 AM
>OOps Ummm. If there is a laying worker and you place some brood into that hive, will they make a queen and keep her

Not usually.

> or should I dump the hive hoping to rid it of the misguided worker?

That's what I'd do.  It will save you a lot of frustration and a lot of dead queens.