Question on quening

[cindyf]

Newby question here. IF I'm not sure the queen made it through the winter would there be a problem in adding a new queen? If the old queen was still there would just one be killed? I would rather gamble $15 to be sure there was a queen than for the whole hive to die out, But if both queens would be killed by themselves or the hive I would be out both.

[Kris^]

I did that early last year when I made splits and expected the cut down to raise its own queen.  After a month I saw no eggs and could not locate any queen.  So I put a caged queen in.  A week later I opened the hive and found a nice plump queen laying away -- but not the marked one I'd put in!

I figure I buy insurance for lots of things.  Why not this?

But when I suspected a queenless hive later in the year, I put a frame of newly hatched larvae in the hive, to see if they started raising a queen.  They didn't.  And I later found the queen.  The premium on that policy was less expensive, but I had to have at least a second hive going to buy it.   :)

-- Kris

[Finsky]

adding a new queen? If the old queen was still there would just one be killed? .

Surely bees kill the newcomer if they have a queen.

If you have another hive, take a larva frame and give it to queenless? hive. If bees start to raise emergency queen cells, they are queenless.

If nothing happens, they have some kind of queen. Nosema may violate the queen so it cannot lay eggs but it is still there.

[Michael Bush]

I'm with Finsky.  Put a frame of open brood and eggs in and let the bees tell you.  No point buying a $20 queen just to have them kill it.  Bees can be finicky on rearing brood this time of year depending on the pollen availability, nectar availability, their stores, the temperatures etc.  I wouldn't get too worried for another month or so, but if you have some brood from another hive it might let you know the status.  Odds are they will start a queen if they don't have one.

[TwT]

cindyf, would you update your profile so we know where you are and what kind of weather your having so people in here could help advise you better? thanks

[cindyf]

Unfortunately I only started with one hive. My thinking at the time was I would learn on one before I spent money for two. Now I'm beginning to see the wisdom in starting with two. I live in west central Indiana. It was 60 degrees here this past thursday and dropped to zero by friday night. I ordered another package for this spring so hopefully I won't have this problem this time next year.