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Using a queenless hive for a cell builder?

1K views 6 replies 4 participants last post by  calkal 
#1 ·
I have double deep that I put a queen cell into to requeen. It is now hopelessly queenless. Could I just drop my next round of grafts into it and use it for a builder / finisher, for 10 days but give it a mated queen after 5 days?
background: I pulled the queen and let them make their own. That queen did not get mated so I gave them a cell. That cell did not get mated (I have trouble in this location). I am getting concerned that there may not be enough new nurse bees.
I have just marked 10 new queens yesterday and thinking of making this my new builder and then giving the hive one of the queens. Could I give them the queen after 5 days in a newspaper combine under an excluder?
 
#2 ·
Putting grafts into a hive which is low on nurse bees is not such a great idea. Are you in a position to give that hive a couple of frames of capped (and preferably emerging) brood to boost nurse bee numbers ?
LJ
 
#3 ·
I have little experience but how about just giving it only a few grafted cells in this situation? I am considering (actually began implementing) introducing cells whenever a hive is queenless for whatever*reason adjusting the cells to the*nurses number.* One could always use*a few extra queens, just postpone*the queen introduction for a few days until cells are capped and you got yourself from some to many potential queens with very little effort.* In the*past I also quickly introduced*as a*test a few fresh grafts whenever*I did not feel like looking for a still-not-mated virgin or not-yet-laying matted queen in a larger nuc or hive.* (Would appreciate any opinion/suggestions on this little_john.)
 
#4 ·
No, trying to find a frame of fully capped brood without at least a band of eggs and uncapped is rare unless I have been shoveling new frames in front of a queen in a picket situation. I only have 3 hives there: one is a dink 5/5 that I have been stealing resources from until exhaustion and the other 2 refuse to requeen themselves.
To Promi’s point what If I just put in a single bar of 10-15 cells?
 
#5 ·
To Promi’s point what If I just put in a single bar of 10-15 cells?
In the*past I also quickly introduced*as a*test a few fresh grafts whenever*I did not feel like looking for a still-not-mated virgin or not-yet-laying matted queen in a larger nuc or hive.* (Would appreciate any opinion/suggestions on this little_john.)
Sure, why not ? That's a good idea. Or even - to save grafting - pull a frame of open brood from another hive and insert it as a 'test frame'. You'll only be borrowing it for a couple of days, and can return it just as soon as you know the result. Personally, I'd invest as little energy as possible until I knew for sure that the colony was genuinely queenless.
I think we all hate this kind of uncertainty. :)
LJ
 
#6 ·
So I grabbed a frame out of a nuc here at the house. I was kicking myself for not just introducing the queen. Grafted up a bar and ran it over to Boring. Light rain 50 degrees, broke the hive in half with a good lift of the legs. Found a nice patch of bees in the center and pulled a frame to find John was correct: Open brood. Put it back together and pulled open the other hive to find some open queen cells on the frames I was dropping the frame into. Oh well, I am into it about $0.50 and an hour. At least I did not lose a queen.
 
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