Hi Mark, I have always had best luck letting the hive re-queen itself. The bees will know when their queen is no longer productive and start building queen cells. ---------- > From: Mark J. Vogel <[log in to unmask]> > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: The best time to replace queen? > Date: Wednesday, August 20, 1997 2:13 PM > > I have two hives with queens that are two seasons old. > They seem to be doing fine, but my understanding is the > queens are past their prime at two years. My question is > should I replace them now with new queens with the risk > of losing them if we have a severe Winter, or should I > wait until Spring to replace them? > > Mark Vogel > Rockford, MN USA