Why did you have an old "Grandmother" queen in your colony this spring?

Obviously, the bees decided to change "mothers", raised a superseding queen,
and
destroyed your new Buckfast Marked queen as NOT NEEDED.

I don't know you, but you showed some intelligence by getting a MARKED queen
so
you might know what is going on in the future.

What would I do from today on?  I would mark that queen "GRAY or SILVER" now
just so I know that her genetics are totally unknown, and let her do her best
for
the remainder of the nectar flow period; and then I would buy a new queen of
my
choice of races, either Italian or Carniolan (but never a hybrid like a
Buckfast)
MARK her, and requeen that colony before September 1st and you might have a
great colony in 2005.

Perhaps you are a beginner or novice.  During our 20 year "fight" with mites,
bee
researchers have learned so many things that were never known before even by
successful commercial honey producers,  A major find is that ALL queens,
irrespective of their egg laying ability, when they are over one year old can no
longer produce enough Queen PHEROMONE to prevent her bees from swarming; and
hence most "enlightened" hobbyist beekeepers and the majority of commercial
honey producers now REQUEEN every year, and some migratory beekeepers requeen
twice in a single year.

George Imirie
Certified EAS Master Beekeeper
Starting my 72nd year of beekeeping near Washington, DC

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