Requeening
Stage 1
Early in the morning before the bees are flying, remove the supers, put on a crown board, block the entrance to the hive, strap it up, and carry to a new site in the apiary where the bees have a view of the old site. Have the new queen ready in the nuc.
Stage 2
On the original site place an empty brood box (this box remains empty and is used just to separate the returning bees from the new queen). On top of this place another brood box into which the 5 frames from the nuc are transferred. These 5 frames of course contain the new queen and are kept together and pushed to the front of the brood box over the entrance. A crown board is put on top.
With the original box place the roof of the hive upside down on the ground; into the roof place a crown board also upside down. Starting at the back of the box remove the first frame. This frame usually only has stores and few bees. Shake the bees onto the upturned roof/crown board.
Continue with each frame replacing the frame in the box after shaking. Frames with brood will contain young bees and these tends to hang on more tightly; let them stay on the frame provided it can be ascertained that the queen is not among them. After shaking examine each of these frames for the queen; this can be done a few yards from the colony if bees are flying around. However, the mature bees will take off and return to the original site.
Stage 3
When all the frames have been dealt with, the colony now will only contain the brood and young nursing bees and will be without the queen. She may be found on the upturned roof/crown board if not already found and removed.
These frames with brood are now put into the new brood box adjacent to the frames from the nuc so making up the full compliment.
Stage 4
A queen excluder is put on and the supers replaced. It may be that some young bees which are unable to fly are on the upturned roof/crown board. This crown board with these young bees is now placed with care on the supers. The young bees will find their way down the hive and look after the brood.
When everything has settled down the lower empty brood box is removed say the next day.
Early in the morning before the bees are flying, remove the supers, put on a crown board, block the entrance to the hive, strap it up, and carry to a new site in the apiary where the bees have a view of the old site. Have the new queen ready in the nuc.
Stage 2
On the original site place an empty brood box (this box remains empty and is used just to separate the returning bees from the new queen). On top of this place another brood box into which the 5 frames from the nuc are transferred. These 5 frames of course contain the new queen and are kept together and pushed to the front of the brood box over the entrance. A crown board is put on top.
With the original box place the roof of the hive upside down on the ground; into the roof place a crown board also upside down. Starting at the back of the box remove the first frame. This frame usually only has stores and few bees. Shake the bees onto the upturned roof/crown board.
Continue with each frame replacing the frame in the box after shaking. Frames with brood will contain young bees and these tends to hang on more tightly; let them stay on the frame provided it can be ascertained that the queen is not among them. After shaking examine each of these frames for the queen; this can be done a few yards from the colony if bees are flying around. However, the mature bees will take off and return to the original site.
Stage 3
When all the frames have been dealt with, the colony now will only contain the brood and young nursing bees and will be without the queen. She may be found on the upturned roof/crown board if not already found and removed.
These frames with brood are now put into the new brood box adjacent to the frames from the nuc so making up the full compliment.
Stage 4
A queen excluder is put on and the supers replaced. It may be that some young bees which are unable to fly are on the upturned roof/crown board. This crown board with these young bees is now placed with care on the supers. The young bees will find their way down the hive and look after the brood.
When everything has settled down the lower empty brood box is removed say the next day.
Requeening when unable to find the queen
It is sometimes the case that a colony can be quite nasty and needs to be requeened. This might be difficult if not impossible when the queen cannot be found. The following method has been used successfully.
The method can also be used for normal requeening at the end of the season where a new queen has been raised in a nuc (in this case the supers will not be present.)
It is essential that the new queen is well established in a 5 frame nuc. i.e. in lay and surrounded by her own workers, or it may be that the nuc has expanded and the queen is now in a brood box.
Basically there are 4 Stages to the procedure.
It is sometimes the case that a colony can be quite nasty and needs to be requeened. This might be difficult if not impossible when the queen cannot be found. The following method has been used successfully.
The method can also be used for normal requeening at the end of the season where a new queen has been raised in a nuc (in this case the supers will not be present.)
It is essential that the new queen is well established in a 5 frame nuc. i.e. in lay and surrounded by her own workers, or it may be that the nuc has expanded and the queen is now in a brood box.
Basically there are 4 Stages to the procedure.
Requeening with new queens
August is the time when an old queen can be replaced with a new queen the latter having been raised during the summer. This process is best done after the honey has been removed and the bees treated for varroa but before the bees are fed for the winter. The object is either to improve the genetic quality of the queens or simply to have new queens in colonies ready for next year.
The simplest procedure is to use the newspaper method.
In the evening when the bees have returned to the hive from foraging the old queen is destroyed.
A newspaper is placed on top of the brood box held down with a queen excluder. A few slits are placed in the paper with the hive tool to help the bees initially to tear the paper.
The brood box with the new queen is placed on top and the set up left for a few days.
The bees will tear through the newspaper and unite peacefully. The remains of the newspaper and the excluder are removed. After which any brood in the bottom box can be transferred to the top box and the empty bottom box removed.
August is the time when an old queen can be replaced with a new queen the latter having been raised during the summer. This process is best done after the honey has been removed and the bees treated for varroa but before the bees are fed for the winter. The object is either to improve the genetic quality of the queens or simply to have new queens in colonies ready for next year.
The simplest procedure is to use the newspaper method.
In the evening when the bees have returned to the hive from foraging the old queen is destroyed.
A newspaper is placed on top of the brood box held down with a queen excluder. A few slits are placed in the paper with the hive tool to help the bees initially to tear the paper.
The brood box with the new queen is placed on top and the set up left for a few days.
The bees will tear through the newspaper and unite peacefully. The remains of the newspaper and the excluder are removed. After which any brood in the bottom box can be transferred to the top box and the empty bottom box removed.
