# question on re-queening and splits



## WillH (Jun 25, 2010)

Bees start queen cells as soon as they realize they are queenless. They even build new ones while the queen is in the cage. Once a mated queen is successfully released and accepted, those QCs are torn down.


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## jwcarlson (Feb 14, 2014)

WillH said:


> Bees start queen cells as soon as they realize they are queenless. They even build new ones while the queen is in the cage. Once a mated queen is successfully released and accepted, those QCs are torn down.


I wouldn't bank on that happening personally. I'd cut them the day I put the cage in, and cut them again when I go to see if the queen is released. That's just me.


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## AR Beekeeper (Sep 25, 2008)

It is best to place a purchased queen in a split in the first hour or two after the split is made. It takes less than an hour for the split to know it is queenless and the bees start the selection of larvae to make queens with. If they continue with the process and have a larvae in transition from a worker to a queen they will not accept a caged queen that has come through the mail and is not in a laying condition. If the bees are able to chew through the candy and enter the cage, or release the queen and she exits the cage, she will be killed and they will use the queen they have raised.


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## jwcarlson (Feb 14, 2014)

Can you put her under a push-in cage over emerging brood? I'd think if you split and do that you'd be in good shape. Could do that immediately, I'd imagine.


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## dudelt (Mar 18, 2013)

Is there any reason to not put the caged queen in right away and not wait an hour or two?


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## rookie2531 (Jul 28, 2014)

I'm guessing that they do need time to know they are Queen less, if they still think they are queen right, they might ball that queen, before they realize, they were Queen less.


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