On Mon, 15 Mar 2004 21:08:05 GMT, [log in to unmask] wrote:
"We still get cold days on Long Island (30's and 40's F intermingled with
50's & 60's F) and, if the bees cluster spanning both boxes, I am afraid
that they will either abandon the old queen or kill the new one."

FWIW, Your bees will follow the brood wherever you place the comb with
brood. Your friend has a very weak hive, just how weak I can not tell,
perhaps only one or two small patches of brood and a frame or two of bees.
A new queen must be introduced within the cluster as if she chills she may
become infertile - or even die. The technique of separation that you
described will probably leave the old queen to die by chilling out side of
the cluster. This time of year make sure by guarantee from the breeder
that the new queen is a bred laying queen, not a virgin that has not yet
had her maiden mating flight(s). It’s too early to take the chance of a
mating flight here in NC; much less Long  Island, NY.

All introductions and manipulations need to be done on a warm day. I hate
to do it too, but take the old queen and scratch her head onto the new
queens cage, I have been told that this helps gain acceptance; however
this may be one of those things such as Aaron’s old wives tales that "just
seems" to work. Another important thing that your friend can do  the same
day after the new queen, in her cage, has been placed into the frame with
brood is to take a bottle type sprayer that has never been used and fill
it half-way with 50/50 sugar syrup and a couple drops flavored extract.
Peppermint, almond, vanilla all work fine. Then spray with the bottle
sprayer using a very fine light mist onto the weak bees. Then take a good
frame of capped  brood out of a strong hive and spray that frame and all
the nurse bees and workers on the frame as well, not too much, just a bit
to dampen them with syrup and flavored extract. The new frame of capped
brood with all the nurse bees and others should then go into the weak hive
next to a frame of brood. Just be sure  that this is done on a fairly warm
day so as not to chill the brood. Since the frame will have mostly nurse
bees on it;  the extract scent along with every bee cleaning the syrup off
each other and themselves will mask odors; acceptance of each other will
be gained easily. After about a week or 10 days at the most has passed
check the queen to see if she is laying. Some queens are slower to start
laying up to speed than others, keep an eye on her pattern and amount of
eggs laid in a day. Add another frame of brood with nurse bees if still
weak; if not shake them off and just add a frame of capped brood. This
will work this time of year.

Regards,

Chuck Norton
Norton’s Nut & Honey Farm
Reidsville, NC

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