Here are ideas for using a bad hive for 1 or more mating colonies. For these examples we assume its 1 mating colony.
- Kill the bad queen. Add a QC (queen cell) the same day. so the cell is assumed 13-15 days old, hatch and mate in 14 days so the "break" is only 14-21 days
- Kill the queen on day x. Add a QC.
For idea 2
- When do you kill the bad queen (so the good one hatches first)? before the day 16 when it hatches.
- Will the bad QCs be destroyed? not on their own, more likely they like their own and tear down the introduced one.
- idea: Give the bad hive extra space when they make QCs. what would the space be for ?nectar?
Assumptions for idea for idea 2
- This lowers the quantity/quality of QCs. " this" is ?
- When you add a good queen cell, they will be more likely to destroy the bad ones. why, they do not know good from Bad.
I will try to follow a bit here David
Added some comment above.
If you want a brood break and have the need to have them not raise thier own queen AND need the resources of the bad hive to pull it off. I think this is your intent.
I would think you pull the bad queens, At this moment you have some new eggs, 2 day larvae "can" be used, on day 6 assuming the queen pull day was 0, you would go in and remove all attempts at making a queen, re do at day 9 to be "certain"
In parallel be making the good queens, at a similar day like day 3 graft.
Oncce the bad hive become hopelessly queen less intro the good cell and let it hatch. around like maybe day 10.
Conceptually, the brood break with OTS has the queen die and the new queen be started same time, from egg to laying queen is 30 Is days, enough for the brood break.
now if you plan OTS or Graft or walk away split then the exact process would differ, but the goal is kill queen, let them make a replacement. You just want to do an egg swap in as well, so the timing would need to keep all that in mind.
Another way if you have an almost equal number of hives is kill bad queen, combine with Good Hive (newspaper) wait for a week , then do the splitting, post any bad egg or larvae being usable for a new queen.
Howevr with all that said IMO a brood break is a treatment so I would likely just hatch the good queens "while" vaping the bad hives every 3 days x 7 cycles, when she is laying requeen them. placing the good queen in a mitless hive and let them rip.
End result is similar, and you get a month more egg laying out of the bad queens.
GG