>  Waldemar asked:
>1. leave the old queen in the lower box and cover it with a queen excluder
>2. put on the upper box with all the brood frames in it
>3. place the caged new queen in between the brood frames in the upper box
>for an indirect method release
>  Has anyone attempted this kind of introduction method?


I often requeen in such a way. Of course, your friend should just kill the
failing queen, and introduce the new one. But, if he's bound and determined...

         For a colony that I want to requeen...not a weak one like
yours...I remove the top brood box, and make that the nuc. I shake all the
bees out of it, and place it back on the hive, on top of an excluder. The
queen remains below, with some of the brood. The next day, I remove the
nuc, and replace the excluder with an inner cover...escape hole closed, rim
up, entrance to the back. Give the caged queen to the nuc, at this point.
If you are on a flow, the bottom will need some extra room...they have all
the field bees.

         The old bees fly home, leaving mostly young bees, which readily
accept the new queen. After three weeks, when the new queen is laying well,
and the nuc is building in strength, go below and kill the old queen, and
unite with newspaper.

Mike

>