Mid-Autumn requeening tips

[JimW]

Hi all,

I have an 8 frame hive (double brood box, one super) that I am going to re-queen. Reason for this is that they have chalkbrood (they have since I first bought the package), tend to be aggressive, and have really slowed down producing excess honey. I have another hive next to this one that is performing really well, are calm and don't have chalk brood.

I am in the suburbs of Sydney.

I was lucky to find one this late in the season, and she is in the post from Kangaroo Island due to arrive tomorrow or the next day.

Does anyone have any tips they can share about how I should re-queen her? I've read so much conflicting information that I'm not sure which way to go. Do I dispatch the old queen, then put the new queen straight in between two frames? Should I wait 24 hours before putting her in? Do I need to put some newspaper around her cage for a day or two? Should I spray the cage with some kind of vanilla/peppermint scent first?

I've seen a bloke at my bee-keeping club do it, and he just whacked the cage straight in with the sugar stopper facing up so she wouldn't get trapped.

I really want to get this right, as if I kill the old queen and the new queen doesn't take I'm thinking I could lose my hive this late in the season.

Thanks
Jim

[Michael Bush]

>Does anyone have any tips they can share about how I should re-queen her?

Yes.
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesfaqs.htm#requeening

> I've read so much conflicting information that I'm not sure which way to go. Do I dispatch the old queen, then put the new queen straight in between two frames?

I would not dispatch the old queen until the new queen is settled and laying.   Take the frame of brood that you find the old queen on and a frame of honey and put them in another box until things have settled.  When you DO get rid of her, drop her in a jar of alcohol and save that for swarm lure.  It will get better as you add more queens and they soak longer.

> Should I wait 24 hours before putting her in?

I like overnight.  12 hours is better if it's overnight as they will be quite certain they are queenless and will not have progressed too far on raising a new queen.

>Do I need to put some newspaper around her cage for a day or two?

No.

>Should I spray the cage with some kind of vanilla/peppermint scent first?

I would not.

>I've seen a bloke at my bee-keeping club do it, and he just whacked the cage straight in with the sugar stopper facing up so she wouldn't get trapped.

Exactly.

>I really want to get this right, as if I kill the old queen and the new queen doesn't take I'm thinking I could lose my hive this late in the season.

So don't kill her until things are settled.

[Geoff]

    JimW,
                Who did you buy your new queen from ?.

[JimW]

Michael, thanks for your information and for the link to your site. I appreciate it.

Geoff, the queen has come from Kangaroo Island Queen Bees (http://kiqueenbees.blogspot.com.au/). I spoke to him mid last week and the queen has arrived today.

Cheers
James

[Geoff]

   Thanks Jim, I will follow up.

     Regards,
                      Geoff.