Re-Queening Tomorrow - Found Old Queen Today!

[sarafina]

If I put a frame of eggs in from the other hive, will the make a queen cell on that frame (assuming they are queenless)?  The reason I ask is the hive is such a beast to work that I try to avoid going into the bottom deep if at all possible.  I was going to today when I didn't find any eggs or uncapped larvae in the top box, but the rain caught me by surprise.  If they make it on the same frame as the eggs since it will basically be an emergency queen, then that will make it easier to inspect.

How long do I have if they are queenless?  Their numbers are good right now and we won't see winter for another 4 months down here.  We went through a bad drought period but it is raining again regularly and the crepe myrtles have started blooming again, which I always see lots of bees on.  Sometimes we get a fall flow also.

[kathyp]

they would make the cells on that frame because that is where the eggs are  .  if they are queenless and you don't want to mess with requeening them again, you can leave them and let them collect whatever they will between now and your winter.  queenless hives are storing machines!  when they are done, you can combine them with the other hive and take the excess stores.  you can leave them to make, or attempt to make, their own queen so that you don't end up with a laying worker problem,  then kill any  queen they have made before combining.

if there are no queen cells started, you may want to leave them until spring and then try a split.

[sarafina]

Good news to report!  I inspected my hive and found capped larvae in a tight pattern so my re-queening was a success!  The bees were back to normal - just agitated - not crazy mad - and I didn't have to walk around my yard for 20 minutes in a cloud of angry bees.  Once I walked away from the hive, they left me alone.

I got my report back from Texas A&M and they said "not AHB".  Although they passed the first AHB-positive test with wings shorter than 0.9 they didn't pass the more rigorous test.  Still - the hive was too hot to manage and definitely need re-queening.

[VolunteerK9]

I know this post is a year old, but once your new queen took off, how did this hive turn out demeanor wise?

[sarafina]

It made all the difference in the world.  I left them alone for about 4 weeks and when I went back in they were as gentle as could be.

This year they were just as gentle and a pleasure to work.  They didn't build up as fast as my other hive but they made up for it in termperament.  My other hive isn't bad - just a bit more testy but a good producer so I am ok with it.  They don't follow me to my back door and my husband mows right up to within a couple of feet of both hives w/o wearing any protection and they never bother him.

Thanks for asking