Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: stella on March 19, 2012, 03:45:32 PM

Title: Will bees make a queen if they need one?
Post by: stella on March 19, 2012, 03:45:32 PM
My bees made a queen last summer and replaced the one that came with the package. I happened to inspect the very time the new queen was sounding off.

So if they are capable of that, and I started a new hive with a split, would they make a queen for the new hive or are the chances very slim?
Title: Re: Will bees make a queen if they need one?
Post by: schawee on March 19, 2012, 04:18:40 PM
stella,yes they will make a new queen but you need to make sure they have the resourses to do so.you need to have a frame of eggs and very young larve and a good number of bees.you have to have drones flying too. so if they don't have the resourses to do so then the hive is doom to fail.        .......schawee
Title: Re: Will bees make a queen if they need one?
Post by: Course Bee on March 19, 2012, 05:36:39 PM
Stella, Unless you see lots of drones it is too early to do a split here. I would make sure they have enough food and if they are crowded I would add a super with drawn comb if available or foundation if not. The extra room will relieve the congestion and you can split as soon as you see that they have drones emerging.

Tim
Title: Re: Will bees make a queen if they need one?
Post by: AllenF on March 19, 2012, 06:24:43 PM
Also, you need to have the numbers of bees high to make a good queen.   They need lots of food coming in.  Feed a new split if they are small.   
Title: Re: Will bees make a queen if they need one?
Post by: Michael Bush on March 20, 2012, 12:13:00 AM
>So if they are capable of that, and I started a new hive with a split, would they make a queen for the new hive or are the chances very slim?

If they have eggs and young larvae and drones are flying odds are they will be successful.

http://www.bushfarms.com/beessplits.htm#walkaway (http://www.bushfarms.com/beessplits.htm#walkaway)