[Deer Slayer]

I am going to install a new queen in a weak (relatively speaking) colony this Saturday weather permitting. I have two deeps on this colony. The bottom is 70% drawn and the upper has been on for about 10 days. They have just begun to draw out comb in the center of the upper deep.
Should I remove a frame from the upper and put the queen cage in the space left? Just the same as I did when I first installed the package this spring except this time install in the upper deep?
I was also wondering if it would be possible to just place the new queen on the screened bottom? There should be room for the box and still allow access for the attendant bees.
What are your thoughts?
Thanks

 

[DRUR]

Dearslayer:
here is what I do and when I follow this script I get right at 100% acceptance rate with a good queen.

First: I locate the queen and kill her. If you have a hard time use a queen excluder between brood boxes, go back in about 5 days and the box with eggs only will have the queen. thus narrowed down she will be easier to locate.

Second: After you kill the queen, wait a week, and then destroy all of the queen cells. This will put the colony in dire straits, as they now have no queen, nor a chance of making one.

Third: Install the new queen. I don't even remove the attendants, I just remove the cork on the end with sugar, push a bobby pin [hard to find now] or a straightened paper clip through the the sugar making a little hole, and then place the queen cage between two frames of merging brood being sure the wire part of the cage is exposed so the workers can tend to the queen.

Fourth: Check back in 3-4 days. If the queen has not been released, remove the cork [leaving the cage where it was previously located] from the other end which should free the queen in due time. Close the colony back up and stay out for at least a week.

Fifth: After a week remove the queen cage [which should be empty] and check for eggs. Once eggs are spotted close the colony back up and let the queen do her thing.

 

[Deer Slayer]

Second: After you kill the queen, wait a week, and then destroy all of the queen cells. This will put the colony in dire straits, as they now have no queen, nor a chance of making one.

Thanks DRUR. What if I put the new queen in right after removing and killing the old queen. I have already ordered the replacement queen and expect her today. I don't think I should keep her boxed up for that long. I guess I should have asaked the questions before I ordered.

 

[pom51]

are you tring to split the hive or do you think that you have a bad queen. if you are trying to split,i think some of the information is questinable.

 

[Deer Slayer]

I suspect a bad queen. This hive shows no signs of disease, mite, or SHB problems so I am going to replace the queen. My other hive has filled the bottom deep and 70% of the top deep but this hive is much slower. Not as much brood and the activity level is much less than my stronger hive.

 

[Beeslave]

You should wait at least a few hours before giving another caged queen but it can work putting her in at the same time the old queen is killed. The acceptance rate goes down if you put her in right away.

Put the new queen between brood frames. If the hive has it's brood located in the bottom box then put the caged queen in the bottom box.

 

[DRUR]

I Second BeeSlave's Response [as if his response needs my second, sorry Beeslave]. Under the circumstances this presents the best options.

Good Luck
Kindest Regards
Danny

 

[Deer Slayer]

OK, I drove to Kelly this morning to pick up the new queen. When I got home I opened the hive and looked for the queen. I looked at every frame twice and could not find her. This is the first time I have been unable to find her. I also noticed some queen cells and one of them had a hole in the end of it. That would indicate to me the colony made a new queen and she is in the hive or out with the drones but either way I am confused as to what to do now. Unless I can locate and remove a queen my new queen I bought is of no use.
Any thoughts or suggestions.
If I can not use the queen I bought, I have a Russian hybrid I will give away to anyone needing one in my area.

 

[Fred Bee]

I'd wait till tomorrow and then have another go at trying to find the old queen...good luck!

 

[Beeslave]

Your old queen may be dead already.

Were the queen cells you saw empty? You said there was a hole on the end/bottom. Look inside of it(cell).

If the cell edges around the hole are dark, thin and tough a queen hatched out.

If the cell edges are soft, the same color as the rest of the cell, when you look inside of it you see white larva and royal jelly, then the queen is still growing.

If the cell is not hatched and growing- Make sure there is no eggs(That will tell you they are queenless) Squash all cells. Shake the bees off each frame back into the hive and look for all queen cells. Place the queen cage between 2 frames of brood or if most brood has hatched already then place her between 2 frames with open space for her to lay.

Leave all candy in the cage tube. Check back in 5 days and see if the queen is released. If not release her into the hive.

 

[Elwood]

I have found them on the third attempt. It almost seems like they know you are after them and can be pretty sly at times.

 

[waynesgarden]

..I have already ordered the replacement queen and expect her today. I don't think I should keep her boxed up for that long.

That raises the related question I've been wondering about. How long can a queen remain in a cage outside a hive? I've seen requeening methods that can have the queen caged in the hive up to weeks. Outside the hive, I imagine moisture and feeding could be an issue after a few days?

Wayne

 

[NasalSponge]

Make sure they have water, they will feed the queen the candy but I like to rub some honey (not store bought) on the screen as well. Keep them in a dark warm place and if there are more than one....put them side by side and listen to them pipe the live long day!! They can live a long time like that.