I'm going to be replacing a queen this Friday. I pick up the queen when I go to get the packages I purchased this year. so my question is - can I remove the old queen the day before (Thursday)? Hive would be queenless about 24 hours.
..I would wait until I had the queen in hand, pull the frame the old queen is on and put that and a frame of honey in a nuc box. The next day I would introduce the new queen in a candy cage (which she probably came in). In two weeks I'd come back and check on the introduced queen and see that she is laying.