On 30 Apr 2003 at 7:34, Al Lipscomb wrote:

> >dispatched her for a replacement. I expect the new one to be laying now
> >but cant check in this horrid weather.
>
>
> If the weather is to bad to open a hive then it will also be to bad for
> mating flights.
>
> If at all possible find a queen breeder that can send out a quality
> product so you know what is in your hives.

   But the bad weather also makes it less likely (no flow) that an
introduced queen will be accepted.  If the queen has stopped laying
for very long the bees in the hive will be old, and that also reduces
the chances of acceptance.

   If I were to gamble on an introduced queen (and I usually don't; I
fix queenless hives with brood instead), I would at least give them a
frame of sealed brood next to the queen cage, and feed them, to
improve odds of acceptance.

   Once winter is over, we try to keep some nucs around as
backups. A nuc dropped in the middle of a queenless colony or
drone layer fixes it quickly and surely. Anyone who keeps bees
should have a few nuc boxes, and it's pretty easy in the spring to
use some spare brood for a few nucs to keep on hand for those
queens that sputter out in the early part of the season.

Dave Green    SC  USA
The Pollination Home Page:  http://pollinator.com

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