Robert Granelli writes:
> I am trying to requeen a hive. I was told to leave the hive
queenless for 24 hours

Hello robert, and all,
The important point here is that you DO NOT  FAIL  to remove  her!
There are many beehavers
 who will say  I couldn't find her,  so I just left the two queens to
fight if out.   Never happens.  The
 colony bees, loyal to their natural queen,  will kill the newly
introduced queen immediately,
never to find the natural queen to fight, and never to be seen again.

>1)      Is it very important to remove the attendants from the queen
>cage? Does it really threaten the success of requeening.

It is not necessary.  I personally prefer to do this and  expect my
success rate in requeening
to approach  95%.  BUT,  I also give the hive an  artificial nector
flow with a quart daily of 1:1
sugar syrup. Then try to requeen in  a natural flow.   I try to delay
her escape until  day  5
by removing the cork at 48  hours, which you will not be able to do.
Obviously,  I am a
hobby  keeper, but that is what a hobby is about......finding out what
is right, then doing
things the right  way!

>2)      I only can check the hive one day a week, so the most I can
>leave my hive queenless is a few hours.

Repeat after me:  Just be sure to leave the hive QUEENLESS!

>Should I just remove the candy and let the queen in the
>hive

Absolutely  not!   The very best way to fail.

>or should I just let the bees try and eat it away

You will have to remove the cork when you put the cage in the colony
after killing the old queen.  The colony bees will free her  in 72-80
hours

>Any other  suggestions?

On your every 7 day schedule for examining the colony,  here the queen
will escape at  3-4 days,
and unless you are very good at seeing eggs and/or less than 24 hour
larvae, don't even try to
examine the colony until  the 14th day; by that time you will not risk
the queen being balled/killed,
and there will be enough large larvae for you to find them easily.
Reread your book on requeening.
And Good Luck.

Bob Barnett
Birmingham, AL