-----Original Message-----
From: Sr. Monica Ryan <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Wednesday, 2 September 1998 4:45
Subject: Bad tempered Colony
 
 
>Question:
>(a) What is the best way to handle a bad tempered colony?  and
>(b) How would you re-queen a bad tempered colony with a queen of a
>gentler nature?
>I will appreciate all answers.  Thank you
>Catherine Duffy
 
 
Hello Catherine, Monica and all
It often seems to me that full bees are happy bees. I suggest that you
install a front entrance (boardman) feeder the day before you plan to work
the bees, as this does not require opening the hive. Pick a time of day the
bees are foraging well. Place a spare bottom board on the ground in front of
the hive, and put your honey supers on this with the lid on top. The
foraging bees will continue to work from the supers. You can now  work on
the brood box where it is or carry it 5 or 10  meters away, to give
isolation from the field bees.
If you don't  have a queen excluder you must search the whole hive. Probably
best to take TC's advice and move the whole hive. Have some syrup on hand
and if the bees are still too cranky, tip about a pint over the frames and
close the lid, give them a little more smoke, then sit down and relax for
about 5 mins before reopening the hive.
In case you can't find the queen I advise that you read the file from the
auto responder about requeening without finding the queen, in advance.
Suggest that you buy a caged mated queen from a queenbreeder. Put it in a
safe location until you are ready to put the cage into the hive.(ie
protected from temp extremes and ants). The caged queen should be introduced
ASAP,  but can be held for a few days if necessary, in this instance a
single drop of water can be placed on the mesh of the cage once or twice per
day, depending on temperature. (CAUTION too much water will wet the bees and
soften the queen candy and in a cold climate will probably have consequences
that I don't know about).
On the appointed day, open the hive, as described above, find the old queen
and kill her.  It's easy when you say it fast. After locating the frame with
the old queen on it
carry it away from the hive before trying to catch the queen, otherwise  she
may escape your effort to catch her, and fall back into the hive.
Now is the time to bring the new caged queen from her safe location. Ensure
that the Queen candy is exposed and place the cage in the brood box. The
bees in your hive must have access to the wire mesh of the queen cage and to
the queen candy. I usually find a suitable spot between the topbars of the
broodbox.  If you place the cage on the bottom bar of a frame, face the
entrance of the cage toward the rear of the box.
Put the hive back together. After a week briefly check that the new Queen
has been liberated, if not release her into the brood box and put hive back
together with minimum disturbance. Don't  manipulate the hive unnecessarily
for a couple of weeks, as the bees may blame the new queen for the
disturbance and ball her.
Many variations are possible:
--If your bees are agro (or if they are placid), and you are sure that the
cage was correctly placed, you can skip the inspection after one week as the
disturbance may cause the bees to ball the new queen.  (either way 98%
chance of success). In any case check within 3 weeks to ensure that your new
queen has been accepted. If not, get another queen and try again or give
them a frame of brood from a more docile hive to raise their own .
--If this is your only hive you may decide to put  the old queen into a nuc
box until the new queen has been fully accepted.
--Acceptance of a new queen is reduced if the bees have poor conditions.
If this is the case you could wait for improved conditions or feed the hive
 
 
I am sitting at home with a sprained ankle so have been rather long winded,
the main point is don't introduce the new caged queen until the old queen is
gone from the hive.
 
Happy Beekeeping, Frank
 
 
Frank Farrell
Darwin NT
Australia