# how to keep Queen Bee that the colony is trying to replace?



## RayMarler (Jun 18, 2008)

It being this time of year, if it was me I'd leave it alone and let the bees do what they want. It may be that they tear the cell down. It may be that they let it emerge and use two queens for a short time, before choosing just one to keep, this happens this time of year more often than some think. With only one queen cell, they should not swarm, so I would not worry about that. I can tell the queen is mated by seeing eggs.


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## markesp83 (Oct 10, 2013)

RayMarler said:


> It being this time of year, if it was me I'd leave it alone and let the bees do what they want. It may be that they tear the cell down. It may be that they let it emerge and use two queens for a short time, before choosing just one to keep, this happens this time of year more often than some think. With only one queen cell, they should not swarm, so I would not worry about that. I can tell the queen is mated by seeing eggs.


Ok so you don't recomend I move the current queen and a couple frames to a new nuc hive and leave the cell in the current hive???


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## JClark (Apr 29, 2012)

If the bees are trying to supercede there is a reason. Don't know the weather there but I imagine it's pretty warm all year. If that is the case you can try to save her but the nuc may just try to replace her too. Like I said, there is a reason they are trying to replace her.


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## markesp83 (Oct 10, 2013)

=D Your right they would know what they need for their hive more then I would right. It gets cold in winter and fall its getting really cold now actually but I will follow your advice and just let them handle the queen issue. Do you know much about mites by chance???


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## kilocharlie (Dec 27, 2010)

The bees are superceding the current queen. They have their reason for this, we beekeepers might not know what that reason is, but they do. 

The bees or the new queen will likely kill the current queen. I suggest you just let it happen without interfering. 

Do keep you eye out for swarming...are they back-filling the brood area with honey? If so, they are planning a swarm, if not, it's just a supercede the old queen with a new one rebellion, which happens whenever a queen is not performing satisfactorily or goes too low on pheromone production for too long.


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## JClark (Apr 29, 2012)

markesp83 said:


> =D Do you know much about mites by chance???


A little. If it is getting cold it is getting too late to treat but you have to know you have a problem before you try to fix it. Do a search w/ the search bar here (on the left of the homepage) and you will find all kinds of questions being answered. Scientificbeekeeping.com also has good synopses on surveillance methods and treatments--as well as other info.


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## markesp83 (Oct 10, 2013)

I will def check this site out I've been reading like crazy! =D I do think I have mites I see one or two maybe thre that have a little red bumbs On the backs. I love my bees a lot but want to bee a organic bee keeper so I'm looking for a natural way of treating them =D. I hope to open my own bee farm one day and produce all kinds of bee products as well as raise be colonies to release into the wilde to help the population =D


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## JClark (Apr 29, 2012)

Those red bumps are mites. Bees usually survive the first winter but the second winter is when they collapse. MAQS (mite away quick strips) is labeled organic. Works good too. I treated for the first time last month on a hive. If you want treatment free expect big losses for a few years and have enough hives so that you have a chance of having survivors. I may be close w/ one of my hives that almost died last winter but has build up good this year w/ no signs of mites (had a lot last year). I only treated my one hive because it is a warre and the drawn comb I made this year won't fit any of my langs. If this hive goes I will probably sell my warre stuff--too much of a pain on a strong flow.

Good luck.


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## Hilltop (Aug 21, 2013)

There are also some other 'natural' mite control techniques you can try, like powdered sugar, using drone foundation, breaking the brood cycle, etc. As for the queen, I would hate to lose a good queen if she has a good brood pattern. I might move one of the queens to a new location for safe keeping. I have seen hives raise a new queen even while a good queen is there when they are genetically different (i.e. when requeening an Africanized colony with an Italian).


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