Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: Beecharmer on July 28, 2005, 02:23:51 pm

Title: New Queen
Post by: Beecharmer on July 28, 2005, 02:23:51 pm
I had a problem with my bees being too aggressive, so the state bee inspector suggested that I requeen.  This is my first year of beekeeping, so I am learning a lot.  I had an experienced beekeeper help me capture the queen and I put a new one in the next day.    I think you are supposed to wait 10 days to go back into the hive, but I am dying to know if she has been released.  It has been 8 days.  Can I go into the hive today?
Title: New Queen
Post by: bassman1977 on July 28, 2005, 02:42:55 pm
Yeah, get in there.  It shouldn't take that long.  Mine took 6 days.  I've heard them take as little as 5.
Title: New Queen
Post by: thegolfpsycho on July 28, 2005, 02:47:07 pm
If it's been 8 days, I think you can go in without worrying too much.  Check the cage, if empty, check for eggs.  If I found eggs, I would be satisfied that all was well and close them back up.
Title: New Queen
Post by: Michael Bush on July 28, 2005, 03:38:53 pm
It depends on what was making them hot.  Sometimes they are hot because of the queens pheromones (or lack thereof).  Sometimes it's genetic.  It will take three weeks for ANY of the bees with the new queen's genetics to emerge and another three weeks before they make it to field bees.  Basically six weeks from when you installed the queen for her genentics to come near replacing all the bees in the hive.

You often see an immedeate improvement, which would indicate that it's NOT genetics, but rather pheromones from the queen.