Ive got several queens laying in nucs really well and Im about to start putting some in my big hives to requeen them. Ive got more ripe cells going to need to be put in nucs is a few days. I do not want no mistakes on introducing these new young queens. So what would you do in this situation? I can take the queens out of the nucs and use the push in cage method to introduce the queens. That way i can just split the nucs and start over again in a few days with the new ripe queen cells. Or even a better way to introduce the new queens into the hive would be to just combine the nucs with the hives after I pull out the old queen. But then I would have to start new mating nucs. I think there is more chance getting a queen injured in a push in cage, but I have had real good luck with it. I could also split the nuc and still combine what is left of the nuc into the big hive. I may go with that route. Some of you Old hands at this game help me out. What would you do in my situation?
Want opinions on Introducing queens and Nucs
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Really Simple Queen Introduction - not flashy, but it works.
I guess my question really is would it be best to introduce the queens and keep the nucs for new cells, or combine the nucs with the hives needing requeened? Then make new nucs? This is one of them situations where I cant make up my mind so I need a little nudge one way or the other. I could just go by my grandpas old saying he used to say all the time. Just do something whether its wrong or right just get something done LOL.
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It always seems to me that nucs which are established by having a queen reared in them - and thus have foragers, and native brood - make better mating nucs. Getting them queenright the first time is the hardest part. For me.
Of course putting new nucs in locations with established foragers does make it a good bit easier.
Caging the queens to requeen your production hives is easy. Finding the queens in those big hives - that's another thing.
Either way will certainly work.
Iivy, I am right in the same boat and same situation as you. I have enough nucs running to requeen all my hives but I have nucs! The plan was to do a newspaper combine as I have in the past but the nucs have become so valuable I do not want to use a $100 nuc to not raise another $20 queen. I am going to move brood above a super and have them raise me some QC and requeen with QC. I think my acceptance will be greater and I will have the old queens in a 2 frame just in case. Still in the planning on it though.
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