If you had a hive whose queen was not quite up to your standards, is there a way to add a second mated queen to help with the laying? That is without killing the original queen?
Not reliably. You need to remove the old queen to get them to accept the new one.
Quote from: Michael Bush on May 14, 2012, 02:37:10 AM
Not reliably. You need to remove the old queen to get them to accept the new one.
is it like adding a queen to a package? (place the queen box in the hive for a day or to so they get a chance to know her?) then release her?
Bees in a package are looking for and needing a queen. Bees with a queen are not looking for a new queen and are not needing a queen and will kill a queen if you introduce her.
Even if you place the queen in a cage to introduce her, they'll kill her if another queen is already there, except when they don't.
Quote from: Michael Bush on May 14, 2012, 08:12:58 AM
Bees in a package are looking for and needing a queen. Bees with a queen are not looking for a new queen and are not needing a queen and will kill a queen if you introduce her.
So I would have to kill tHe queen and introduce a new queen first? I to do that I would do it as I would be installing one in a package?
>So I would have to kill tHe queen and introduce a new queen first?
If you want any decent chance of success, yes.
>I to do that I would do it as I would be installing one in a package?
If I was installing one in a package I would direct release her. If I was introducing one to a hive whose queen I just removed, I would wait until overnight and do a candy release.
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesfaqs.htm#requeening (http://www.bushfarms.com/beesfaqs.htm#requeening)
I was at a beekeeping school a couple of days ago(this was a private affair, sponsored by a commercial beekeeper for costumers who buy bees from him.) He told us he does not requeen hives. If a hive is not up to par he will add a mated queen.
The way he does this is by driving the bees out of the hive with a fume board, spraying the bees with a very strong mixture of vanilla and water, then spray the queen he is adding too. He then places the queen into the cluster just above the entrance. remove the fumeboard and the bees will return to the hive with the added queen.
I've often just added a queen cell... and that usually works fine. But that is a virgin queen who emerges into the hive.
Michael Bush
I do know a mated Queen will not kill a developing Queens but will a mated Queen kill a a virgin Queen?? or will a virgin Queen kill a mated Queen ??
BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)