# requeening a queenless hive



## johng (Nov 24, 2009)

They probably did make a queen, but, for some reason she failed to mate. Something probably happened to her on the mating flight and now you are queenless with no way for them to make a new queen. If they are already at the point of being broodless you can expect laying workers to follow pretty quick. You need a queen ASAP. I don't think you will be able to successfully introduce a queen at the end of the month. I think you need to get an American Bee Journal or a Bee Culture and start calling queen breeders first thing Monday morning. Finding a queen this time of year should not be that hard. If you can find a frame of brood from a friend it will buy you some time to get a queen. Just don't forget to check that frame for queen cells before you introduce the new queen.


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## kilocharlie (Dec 27, 2010)

jjimgee- 

Make a Laidlaw queen introduction push-in cage. It is a 5" wide x 7" long x 7/8" deep rectangle of wood with #8 hardware cloth over the top and a 1" strip of sheet metal mounted to the inside perimeter, extending 3/8" down past the bottom.

Brush the bees off a nice, FLAT, empty comb (10 % honey and pollen is OK) and place the mated queen on the open part with a bit of honey and pollen in the corner for food. Trap her under the cage, and push the sheet metal strip into the comb, bottoming out the wood against the comb.

This allows her to start laying eggs, which increases her queen substance production, especially pheromones, causing the other bees to accept her, while protecting her from attacking bees.

There is no candy release in a Laidlaw cage - the beekeeper releases her AFTER the bees stop forming an attack ball, when he sees the attendant bees start feeding her, signalling acceptance, NOT BEFORE THIS. 100% acceptance rates are common with Laidlaw cages - usually it takes a damaged or poorly-mated queen to get rejected using this device.

Pictures and explanations are in Dr. Laidlaw's book, Contemporary Queen Rearing, available through Dadant & Sons. Hope this helps.


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## kilocharlie (Dec 27, 2010)

You could introduce a queen on a frame of capped brood if the frame has some unfilled space. You have to cover it with screen, and give them plenty of time. The emerging bees will accept the inrtoduced, mated queen, and will tend to her as she starts laying. Once she has started laying brood, they will accept her.

If the colony goes Laying Worker, her brood will out-live the LW's.

In either case, DO NOT RELEASE HER until the colony has accepted her.


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## Jackson (Aug 5, 2013)

kilocharlie said:


> ...
> In either case, DO NOT RELEASE HER until the colony has accepted her.


What's an accurate way to tell he Queen has been accepted already by the colony while she is in the push-in-cage?


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## Alexander co (Dec 6, 2013)

For many times, i used the push in cage method. The cage is such a Laidlaw type. I had succeses, but some rejections. The succeses were about 80%. The best results, were when the expecting time, was under 10 hours. Exactly, the best was 6 hours. A week ago, in order to verify the informations about the queen less expecting time, previous to Q introduction, i expected 24 hours for one case, and straight away introduction,, for an other case. In both , there was a failure . The bees rejected the Q in 48 h. The Q and the B are Carnica Bee. What do you think about? Wich is the best time, to expect in Queen less ?


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## ruthiesbees (Aug 27, 2013)

I like to steal a few frames of bees from the hive over to a nuc and introduce the queen there. Much better acceptance in a small group. Plus, she will get to lay some eggs and so the brood pheromone will accompany her over to the main hive. You will still want a push in cage when introducing her to the big hive.


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## kilocharlie (Dec 27, 2010)

Acceptance is signified when there is no longer an "attack ball" of bees over the cage. When you see the queen up at the screen asking to be fed, and young nurse bees feeding her, they have accepted her. This can take as long as 3 weeks, so don't hurry it. She has to start laying, they have to accept her, or you don't get the 100% acceptance rate I usually get (I've only ever lost damaged or poorly-mated queens introduced in Laidlaw cages).


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## Santa Caras (Aug 14, 2013)

Read some intresting things this weekend about Queens and getting them accepted. Said a hungry queen is accepted more easily with her begging for food than a full queen. Queens are accepted more easily when a flow is on so the hive should be feed for a day or so before inserting Queen. Also told about a method where the queen is put into a matchbox, put underwater for about 6 seconds and drained and then placed onto the top frames. A wet miserable queen is amost always accepted and pampered. Dont know how true of any of this but a few more nuggets to roll around up there in that empty space.


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## Alexander co (Dec 6, 2013)

What do you understend herefrom? :If introducing a grafted queen (a queen that is still in the queen cell and not yet emerged), put the cell inside an introduction cage a day or two before emergence. This gives you the opportunity to remove the old queen and establish the“queenless” condition that the colony needs in order to accept the about-to-hatch new queen. Once the new queen is out and about, release her. The virgin queen will mate and about 10 days later (maybe a few days more) you should start to see evidence of a successfully introduced queen (eggs and younglarva). Do you understand, that we have to kill previously, the old queen? Herefrom: http://www.michiganbees.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Queen-Introduction-Cage_20120715.pdf


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## Alexander co (Dec 6, 2013)

Alexander co said:


> What do you understend herefrom? :If introducing a grafted queen ...


Nobody knows?


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## beepro (Dec 31, 2012)

Alex, this tread is outdated since July.
Your method of proposal does work sometimes. Even after the virgin queen emerged, 3 days later her smell changed and by then
the older workers may chose to balled her if they not like her. By the 3rd attempt they are willingly to accept her. Killing too many queens
this way I think. Others method about the queen cage and small nuc is better to introduce a new queen. They also teared down the capped
queen cell if they not like it. Others wrapped the cell with duct tape only leaving the cell tip exposed. Hope this helps!


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## Alexander co (Dec 6, 2013)

beepro said:


> Alex, this tread is outdated since July. Hope this helps!


 It shows a great competence, and i will to develop these ideas.


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## Alexander co (Dec 6, 2013)

Alexander co said:


> What do you understend herefrom? This gives you the opportunity to remove the old queen and establish the“queenless” condition queen. Herefrom: http://www.michiganbees.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Queen-Introduction-Cage_20120715.pdf


 For Beepro.( And others).
Do you understand, that we have to remove previously, the old queen? or to remove she, after the virgin Q is hatched.


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## Riverderwent (May 23, 2013)

Alexander co said:


> What do you understend herefrom? :If introducing a grafted queen (a queen that is still in the queen cell and not yet emerged), put the cell inside an introduction cage a day or two before emergence. This gives you the opportunity to remove the old queen and establish the“queenless” condition that the colony needs in order to accept the about-to-hatch new queen. Once the new queen is out and about, release her. The virgin queen will mate and about 10 days later (maybe a few days more) you should start to see evidence of a successfully introduced queen (eggs and younglarva). Do you understand, that we have to kill previously, the old queen? Herefrom: http://www.michiganbees.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Queen-Introduction-Cage_20120715.pdf


Alexander, what I understand from those instructions is that you should remove the old queen when you put the queen cell in the introduction cage. If I were using this approach, I would bank the old queen in a nuc until the new queen is safely emerged, mated, and laying. Cheers.


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## beepro (Dec 31, 2012)

Alex, yes I graft my own queens yearly in the Spring and during the summer before the Autumn.
I had used many methods to try to introduce both the virgin and mated queens before. Many good laying queens had dies
because I did not do a good job at it. I have successfully used a queen introduction frame and cage for the mated queens.
Virgins and capped queen cells I had success also but not much compare to the mated laying queen. To make this a success
for you you can put the queen cell inside a 5 frame nucs with a young bee population. After the virgin got mated and laying then put more
bees with frame into this hive to expand it. If this is not possible then consider using a queen introduction cage for the mated and laying queen.
PM me if you need more clarification on this process.


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## Alexander co (Dec 6, 2013)

Thank you Riverderwent and beepro. Stay on cours for the next days, after a week. For two weeks, i will have a hardt work.


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## beepro (Dec 31, 2012)

O.k., Alex. Let us know when you needed help.
It will be a rather busy season for you there. Keep up the good work.


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