Fall Requeening - buy or let them make one.

[skflyfish]

I have read that fall requeening every couple of years makes good sense.

I have my one hive that started as a package last year, over came chalk brood and really did well, made lots of honey, and survived a cold winter. I think the genetics of this hive is pretty good.

Well this fall will be two years and I am wondering if it would make sense to 'off' the queen in September and let them make a new one, or buy a new one of questionable genetics.

Thanks.

[jdpro5010]

If you are going to pinch her I would do it in mid to late July for your area to allow her to get properly mated and going.  It would be late August before she is laying and that is if everything goes well with the mating.  If everything does not go well you could still buy a late season queen the first of september if you had to.

[Carl F]

I like the idea of letting a colony make their own queen if you have other colonies in the area as drone sources.  I also agree that September is way too late.  What you would probably find is that the colony makes queens and they fight it out until there is one but that it is too late (cold) for her to make her mating flights.  My colony did a late supercedure about that time of year last year and that is what happened.

[trapperbob]

July or early August if you let them make there own and even if I didn't and went out and bought one.  I would get her early August so as to be able to evaluate her laying pattern. I would not pinch the old queen till you had time to evaluate the new queen. Make a nuke and keep her there that way if the new one is a failure you can put her back in and if the new queen is to your liking you just pinch her and combine the nuke back in. Or you could make a nuke and let them make a queen and if you like her kill the old queen and combine the nuke with the new queen this way the old queen never stops laying and the old hive stays strong. It takes time for a new queen to mate and start laying doing it this way gives her time to get started and you never slow the old hive down at a time when  they are starting to get ready to prep for winter by laying the eggs that will be your winter bees. You get the best of both worlds. A new queen and a full hive with no loss of brood.

[Michael Bush]

>I have read that fall requeening every couple of years makes good sense.

Some people requeen twice a year.  Some never.  Pretty much I never requeen unless I see the queen failing.  The bees should be able to replace a failing queen.  This is a genetic trait we will breed out of the bees if we keep interfering.

>I have my one hive that started as a package last year, over came chalk brood and really did well, made lots of honey, and survived a cold winter. I think the genetics of this hive is pretty good.

Then keep her.

>Well this fall will be two years and I am wondering if it would make sense to 'off' the queen in September and let them make a new one, or buy a new one of questionable genetics.

You have one you like.  At most, why not pull her with a frame of brood and a frame of honey and adhering bees and let the hive raise a new one.

[skflyfish]

Thanks for your replies!

I guess I was off in my thinking September would be enough time. Opps.  ;)

I really like the idea of taking a frame of eggs and brood and letting them make a queen naturally. I am all for letting nature do it. I would really like to keep this queen genetics as she has been a good one.

Thanks again.