My 11 1/2 year old son and I have just overwintered our 1st hive of bees that
we keep in our backyard in an urban setting.  We started with a nuc last April
and had a great year.  We extracted 5 shallow supers of honey.  The colony
appears to have overwintered well as I have seen lots of bees leaving the hive
to forage and they are bringing back pollen.  So the queen must be laying
brood.  I have not opened the hive yet to inspect it, but will in a couple of
weeks when the weather warms up some more.
 
My main concern is:  How important is it that I requeen this colony?  Since we
beekeep in an urban area, would requeening cut down on the possibility of
swarming?  Mark and I do plan to split this hive and we will get a new queen
for that.  A lot of the local beekeepers that we know are not, at this time,
doing annual requeening and let their hives raise their own queens.  I am
reluctant to to this as it is of paramount importance to me that our bees
remain gentle.  I don't want any complaints from the neighbors.
 
I am also rather apprehensive about how to find the queen. Any helpful hints
would be greatly appreciated.
 
Florence and Mark Cooper
Jackson, Mississippi, USA