While I'm far from an expert, I've successfully requeened SERIOUSLY aggressive colonies somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 times. Were they AHB? Probably - or at least a mix. I like Peter Edwards method of moving the colony so you only have to deal with younger bees. Will have to give it a try in the future. To begin, get suited up to the max with an extra layer of clothing under your suit! Don't do this alone and have your car close by in case you get into trouble. Using smoke and sugar water to calm the bees doesn't help a great deal, but it does help a little. I wouldn't advise doing this to more than one colony in a day. The experience will be very intimidating. Choose your assistant carefully. Here's how we did it. Simply take the brood chamber frames and shake them out onto a piece of plywood in front of the hive - boxes and bottom board too. The queen is usually easy to find as they all march back to the hive. Once the hive has been open for a while and several frames have been shaken, the bees tend to "reduce" their attack. After finding the queen, put the hive back together and wait 3 days before introducing a caged queen. I can hear a lot of you saying this won't work and they will reject the new queen. What can I say, it has worked for me. (West Texas) Mark :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: -- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/BEE-L for rules, FAQ and other info --- ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::