Hi everybody,
How long would it take for a new queen to influence the overall temperament of the hive? I've been doing some requeening of late and they're being successfully released (atleast from the cages) by five days. I haven't done any inspection to see if they're laying yet and i won't be doing that for atleast a week. What i'm wondering though is how quickly does the new queen alter the temperament of the hive? is it a pheromonic thing where it's a quick change or is it a genetic thing whereby the old aggressive stock have to die off and be replaced by the new queens progeny? I have one hive three boxes high and they're as hot as a white hot piece of metal! i want to do an inspection in a week or so to check if the queen is laying but if they stay as hot as they have been i wont be able to do anything! i really want to pull them down from a triple to, at most, a double, preferably a single! I'm all for the divide and conquer approach but i'm worried about doing this with a newly re-queened hive... any advice is much appreciated.
You may see a pheremonal change the first few days, but the largest change will be gradual over 6 to 9 weeks.
Interesting - coz i've noted on a few hives a marked change in temperament - i can actually kneel in front of the hives without them flying out at me - but there's this one hive which is still crazy! i just hope the queen has been accepted on that hive...
Thanks for your advice iddee
I noticed a marked difference in temperament in about 4 weeks. Went from being stung for lifting the top cover (after smoking them) to laid back and gentle.
Quote from: OzBuzz on March 27, 2011, 09:38:08 PM
Interesting - coz i've noted on a few hives a marked change in temperament - i can actually kneel in front of the hives without them flying out at me - but there's this one hive which is still crazy! i just hope the queen has been accepted on that hive...
Thanks for your advice iddee
The queen does not change the angryness in the hive. It will be changed when defensive bees are dead.
It takes 2 months. It deends on weather how angry they are. In the evening they are at their worst.
The worst bees are in lowest box where are old foragers.
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In theory it should take about six weeks from when the new queen lays eggs to when those bees become the guard bees. In reality it sometimes takes a lot less. Somewhere between is probably what will happen.