bad start

[newguy]

in my second attempt at beekeeping, im off to a roaring thud. last year i lost my one and only hive to mites i think, i wintered the hive with moth crystals from mann lake which i removed over a month ago, i hope this was enough.
     this year i got two 3lb packs. i installed three days ago, i checked on queens today and found happiness in one hive and a queen cage of dead bees in the other. im guessing its not the suppliers fault because not just the queen was dead. there is only a few thou bees left in the hive, should i order new package$$$ or just try a requeen.
     would the bees from dead queen hive join the hive next door or just leave or something else explain few thou missing.

     thanks kevin

[manowar422]

In conditions of good weather, take the tops off both hives.

Spot a frame containing freshly laid eggs from the "good" hive,
and brush the bees on this frame back into the hive you took it from.
This must be done quickly so the eggs and larva in the cells of this
frame do not become chilled.

Now exchange this frame for an empty frame from the queenless hive.
The bees in the queenless hive will raise their own queen from one
or more of the fresh eggs on the frame you gave them.

It's best to place this "egg" frame in a spot where most of the bees
in the queenless hive are now congragating, they will now take care
of the eggs and larva.

You will still have two hives (more than one hive is easier) and have
not had to spend any more money or wait on a new queen.

[newguy]

i know i could do that but i wouldn't have a laying queen for a month. i would rather not loose all that production especially with what seems like less than a full 3lb package left, so i decided to requeen. should i put hang queen cage just the same as if it were a new package or i there another method i should use?  i just dont want them to kill the new queen before they have a chance to accept her.  i think i remember micheal bush saying to just do a direct release on another post but i was under the impression that they have to get used to her first, what gives?
     
    has any of you found a queen cage with all dead bees? i was thinking that maybe the screen on the queen cage was pressed up against drawn comb and they could have sufficated? i dont know it seems strange to me that they were all dead in two days, any ideas?, i dont want a repeat.
thanks kevin

[Finsky]

.., so i decided to requeen. should i put hang queen cage just the all dead in two days, any ideas?, i dont want a repeat.

It is no reason to raise new queen to queenless package.  Even if I had  two 3 lbs package colonies I should join them in one. So you get one langstroth box full of bees. They start fast build up and in middle of  summer you may get another hive.

When you have 6 lbs bees that colony may make  7 frames of brood in short time. If you have two 3 lbs colonies, they make all together perhaps 4 frames of brood. Build up is very slow with small nucs.

Even if small colony raise a queen it is really poor quality and about worker size. That kind of losses are usual in beekeeping and you just learn to stand them.

[Jack Parr]

i know i could do that but i wouldn't have a laying queen for a month. i would rather not loose all that production especially with what seems like less than a full 3lb package left, so i decided to requeen. should i put hang queen cage just the same as if it were a new package or i there another method i should use?  i just dont want them to kill the new queen before they have a chance to accept her.  i think i remember micheal bush saying to just do a direct release on another post but i was under the impression that they have to get used to her first, what gives?
     
    has any of you found a queen cage with all dead bees? i was thinking that maybe the screen on the queen cage was pressed up against drawn comb and they could have sufficated? i dont know it seems strange to me that they were all dead in two days, any ideas?, i dont want a repeat.
thanks kevin

If you read about direct release, and, how to do it, go back to the other post, read it again.

The bees you got in a package are of all ages. Bees die off after around six weeks so there is not a whole lot of time left.

I would join this batch of bees with the good hive using the newspaper method and be done with it. The bees will not join on their own, you have to do it and it's not difficult.