Re-queening may get you a friendlier colony, however, you may find that the colony as-is outproduces the others you have. Some of the old-timers here say that the more aggresive bees usually produce more and defend themselves from mice, skunks, hornets, birds, etc.much better. That seems to include beekeepers to though! They just have a more 'go get um' attitude! Depending on what you are after in your beekeeping pursuits and the local conditions, you may want to just use that smoker a bit more.
Dennis Morefield
Sideline Beekeeper, Oregon, USA
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