In a message dated 95-08-12 00:58:39 EDT,  Liz Day ([log in to unmask]) asks:
 
>I don't raise bees.  But from the discussions, it sounds as though
>you have to requeen hives often.
>Why?  Does the current queen wear out?  She lives much longer than
>a year, right?
 
  While a queen can theoretically last 2 - 4 years, there are several good
reasons to encourage annual requeening, especially in commercial beekeeping.
 
1.  Queens in their first year tend to be more prolific layers than in the
second year, helping enable the bees to "outrun" mites and other problems.
 
2.  Commercial beekeeping, especially if there is some movement of hives from
crop to crop, burns out the queens earlier than they would in more moderate
use.  Each move stimulates the queen to a new burst of activity (and well it
should, because there are losses of adults and extra stresses involved).  The
queen has a finite amount of sperm cells from her once in a lifetime mating,
and when she's done, she's done.  It's better to replace on a regular
schedule that to have hives declining from failing queens.
 
3.  Queens are "programmed" to swarm in their second year.  With annual
replacement, swarming is MUCH reduced.
 
4.  Requeening on a schedule is an excuse to get into the hive, to check for
all sorts of problems. Looking for the old queen is a good way to get to know
your bees.
 
   Despite all these reasons, I do not requeen every single hive each year,
only about 80%.  This way I try to save some of the superior queens to raise
the general level of the stock.  Queens that do not measure up in any way,
are culled without regret, but those who are doing the job are left to carry
on, and the few that really shine, are marked as potential breeders.
 
   Reasons to cull queens:  Mean bees, nervous, runny bees, chalkbrood,
sacbrood, European foulbrood, high levels of tracheal mites or viruses
(greasy looking, k-wings, bald bees, bald brood, sour smelling bees), low
populations, drone brood in worker cells, small clusters, poor pollen
gathering and storage in relation to other hives, undersized (poorly fed)
workers.
 
[log in to unmask]                     Dave Green
PO Box 1215, Hemingway,  SC   29554
 
 
*NASA had to cancel their plans to launch an exploratory space mission
outside the solar system, before the public learned of their latest problem.
 The animals were coming and lining up... two by two.