>         A quick question:  My county bee inspector checked my
> hives this past weekend and advised me to requeen my failing
> Yugo hive, as it is very weak, especially compared to my
> Buckfast hive.  When would be the best time to requeen?  Now,
> so she can build up the colony for overwintering, or early
> fall, to take advantage of the fall flow??  This hive isn't
> doing me much good right now anyways, so I'd definitely
> appreciate some advice!!!
 
Requeen ASAP.
 
Delaying has no benefits whatsoever, but a new queen will get to work
and rebuild the populations to a healthy level.
 
Good wintering, as well as good crops depends on several successive
generations of healthy balanced bee populations  preparing the hive
and increasing stores of honey and pollen.   bees raised in stressed
hives can be undernourished and incapable of making crops -- or
overwintering.
 
It will take 6 weeks after the new queen gets to work  for the hive to
become reasonably normal if it has run downhill very far.
 
There are also risks in requeening, so you want to allow time for
another try if the first attempt fails.
 
Good luck
 
.
Regards
 
Allen
 
W. Allen Dick, Beekeeper                                         VE6CFK
RR#1, Swalwell, Alberta  Canada T0M 1Y0
Internet:[log in to unmask] & [log in to unmask]
Honey. Bees, & Art <http://www.internode.net/~allend/>