I need your expert advice!

[jlarsen]

I have a hive that was requeened last spring. The colony started building superceedure cells withing a month. Bad queen I am guessing. I was cutting them out thinking they would swarm. It was warm enough in NH to clean bottom boards this weekend. On doing so I notice one of the bees on the bottom board have a red marking between her wings. Dread...the old queen. On further inspection I found a new queen ... to cold to have been a superceduer queen from this spring she must have taken on her role last fall? I did not noce any new eggs or developing lava. There is about one to two pounds of bees left in the hive. What do I do? Should I just leave it alone and hope for the best...knowing that if she were to start laying today the new brood would not develop for 30 days. Would this be enought time to save the hive? Do I take bees from another colony to suppliment numbers to give her time to mate and start laying? I need some help here?

[pgg]

No expert here, just suggestions. Being as far North as you are I wouldn't assume that just because you don't see eggs or brood you have a virgin queen. Depending on her race she may not start laying until there is pollen and nector available. If you want to save the hive I would feed 1:1 syrup and some pollen substitute to try to stimulate egg laying in case she is not a virgin. Or you can dispose of her and combine the workers with another hive. I don't think taking bees from another hive and trying build up your weak hive would help alot and it could make your other hive too weak in the process.
Hope this helps and good luck.

Patrick

[cdowdy]

I have a hive that was requeened last spring. The colony started building superceedure cells withing a month. Bad queen I am guessing. I was cutting them out thinking they would swarm. It was warm enough in NH to clean bottom boards this weekend. On doing so I notice one of the bees on the bottom board have a red marking between her wings. Dread...the old queen. On further inspection I found a new queen ... to cold to have been a superceduer queen from this spring she must have taken on her role last fall? I did not noce any new eggs or developing lava. There is about one to two pounds of bees left in the hive. What do I do? Should I just leave it alone and hope for the best...knowing that if she were to start laying today the new brood would not develop for 30 days. Would this be enought time to save the hive? Do I take bees from another colony to suppliment numbers to give her time to mate and start laying? I need some help here?

No expert but I believe if it was me, I would get a frame with some eggs in it and give to the hive in question (without Bees) if the queen in there is no good for some reason the bees will start queen cells. cdowdy

[Ravenseye]

No drones here yet so don't plan on having them make another queen at this point in time. I'm not even sure you have a problem yet. Feed them if they need it. Keep your eyes open for brood on the few warm days that we have and see what happens. By the time you figure out where you are, you'll have plenty of suppliers that can get you a queen real quick. Moreover, as soon as you have drones you can always put a frame with new eggs in there and let them make their own. Patience....patience.

[Ian]

a frame of brood is probably the most efficient way of boosting a colony, if you feel the hive needs boosting