MR WILLIAM L HUGHES JR. wrote:
>
> REQUEEN!!
>
> Bill Hughes
> Bent Holly Honey Farm
> Brighton, TN USA
>
> <<A problem I'm having is that of the two hives we built and bought
> bees =
> for, one of them has a personality of a mean wet cat and the other is
> =
> more like a friendly kitten.  Why is this?  (They are about 1/4 miles
> =
> apart.)  I was thinking that if I didn't do anything to the mean hive
> =
> for six weeks, all the mean bees would have been replaced by new
> young =
> bees and the temperament might be better.  Is this true?=20
>
> Charles in Salt Lake City
> [log in to unmask]>>
 
IF you requeen then your theory is correct.  The secret is in the
genes.  In 6 weeks or so your entire worker population will be from the
new queen.  It's also important that you get that new queen from someone
who breeds for gentleness.  These days most breeders do.
 
Michael Reddell
[log in to unmask]
http://www.hotcity.com/~mwr