Queen Removal Timing

Capitanbob · August 07, 2019, 03:26:14 PM

I need to re-queen an aggressive hive. I have the new queen on order and would appreciate any advice on how long the hive should be queenless before I introduce her. Thanks!

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iddee · August 07, 2019, 03:58:22 PM

10 minutes to 24 hours. Slow release, NOT direct release.

CoolBees · August 07, 2019, 04:05:46 PM

Quote from: Capitanbob on August 07, 2019, 03:26:14 PM
I need to re-queen an aggressive hive. I have the new queen on order and would appreciate any advice on how long the hive should be queenless before I introduce her. Thanks!

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Iddee nailed it - per usual. Wish there was more I could add.

Capitanbob · August 07, 2019, 04:08:33 PM

Thank you both!

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van from Arkansas · August 07, 2019, 04:20:50 PM

Capt. Bob, I experienced aggressive hives are very good at killing introduced queens. ID said SLOWLY for a reason. Make sure the hive does not try to requeen themselves or your purchased queen will be killed. Check for queen cells, find and destroy.

AR Beekeeper · August 07, 2019, 04:32:44 PM

It is easier to introduce a queen that you purchase to a small nuc, then after she is accepted and has been laying a week or two, use the nuc to requeen the full size colony. Remove the same number of frames the nuc has from the Colony along with the Colony queen, and then put the frames from the nuc along with the Nuc queen in the empty area created in the Colony. Close up and leave the Colony alone except for feeding. Put the Colony Queen and her frames in the nuc box until the new queen is found a week after introducing the nuc to the colony.

Make a nuc with 2 frames of capped brood, 1 frame of eggs and uncapped larvae, and 1 frame of honey/pollen. Move the adults that are on these frames to the nuc when you transfer them, and then shake in 2 additional frames of adults that are on uncapped brood. Make the nuc in the middle of the day when the foragers are flying so that you have mostly young bees.

Make sure the opening to the candy end of the cage the queen is in is exposed to the bees and place the caged queen between the frame with capped brood and the frame with the uncapped brood. Put the caged queen in the nuc at the time the nuc is made, leave the nuc alone for 4 or 5 days before checking for queen release.

If you have no equipment to use for making a nuc and you must make an introduction to the full size colony, find the original queen and kill her, then place the new queen's cage between 2 frames of uncapped brood, close up, feed the colony a gallon of sugar syrup, and leave the colony alone for a week to 10 days.

The difference in acceptance rates is I have 100 percent using the nuc method and placing the queen directly into a full size colony only about 85 to 90 percent.

Capitanbob · August 07, 2019, 06:48:48 PM

Wow! Great information! Thanks for taking the time to provide!!

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beesnweeds · August 07, 2019, 07:23:01 PM

A push in cage over emerging brood works every time.

Oldbeavo · August 07, 2019, 08:26:21 PM

Van is right about aggressive hives being difficult to requeen.
My best success has been by killing aggressive queen then adding a frame with a queen cell from a quiet hive and let it hatch.

iddee · August 07, 2019, 09:32:49 PM

If you have doubts and want the absolute safest way, get one of these frames.

https://beezneedz.com/product/qrs-queen-intro/

beesnweeds · August 10, 2019, 09:16:34 AM

I just introduced some queens for some fellow beekeepers and myself and all took with a push in cage. The only drawback is if your not comfortable with handling queens. Young queens can sometimes be fast and flighty. I just go in a small room with the curtains open in case the queen decides to fly, they always fly towards light. I bought a queen muff 2 years ago and still haven't tried it out, but seems like it would work fine if you had to go out in the field or didn't want to cage a queen in your vehicle. The link I will post is pretty good, the only thing I do different is I use a larger cage. A larger cage makes it much easier to catch the queen and gives her more space to lay along with emerging brood. I make them roughly 6x6. Michael Bush also has great info on push in cages.

https://azbackyardbeekeepers.org/news/the-easy-way-to-make-a-push-in-queen-cage/

Michael Bush · August 15, 2019, 09:56:35 AM

I like at least 2 hours. That's enough time for all the bees to figure out there isn't a queen. In 10 minutes MOST of the ones home have figured it out, but the bees in the field haven't been home yet...

Capitanbob · August 15, 2019, 10:05:32 AM

Thank you!

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