-----Oprindelig meddelelse-----
Fra: Allen Dick <[log in to unmask]>
Til: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Dato: 8. maj 1999 00:38
Emne: Re: Requeening


I have done requeening  in three ways through my beekeeping life :-) But as you said, each method depends on the actual situation, You are facing.

one is the straight way, when you want to replace an old no more so well working queen. Just let her into the hive through the entrance. The condition to be met is a sunny day with plenty of flight so that a minimum of old bees are home. The new queen must be a mated queen in laying eggs condition.

advantage is .

Minimum work. The hive remain working not frustrated even if the requeening fails. You don't have to check for the queen, until you  normally would do.

disadvantages is that you might  lose the new queen, because she is not accepted.

second is the requeening in cage, where you kill the old queen, let the bees carry the dead queen out like they do with other garbage, then the next day place the cage between to frames with young nurse queens. The condition here must also be nice weather.

advantages is

this is the normal way to introduce new queens in, and the most time it succeed. and you can use both mated and unmated queens.

disadvantages are

that  it is workload, and set the bees back at least two days plus the days until the new queen start laying eggs.

third way is where you requeen with the queen surrounded with young bees in a little artificial swarm. The technique is similar to the way queenbreaders make the mating boxes.

a little box 15cm times 15 cm. fill with 2 to 3 dl young bees. feed those bees and throw the new queen into the box. In the field, place this little box upon the  broad boxes with a sheet of newspaper between. covering the whole surface. put an empty box around,  The bees from under will try to eat through the newspaper to kill the invaders, but will calm down before they get to it. then the new queen will invade the hive with her young bees.

advantages is:

you have not to wait for the next day after killing the old queen, and the accept of new queen will be as near as 100% you can get when we are working against nature. Works for unmated and mated queens. Best succes with killing the old queen and a mated new quuen..

disadvantages is workload! making small artificial swarms, maybee looking up the old queen and so on.

best regards

Jorn