# Best way in requeen a queenless/broodless colony?



## MrGreenThumb (Apr 22, 2007)

What is the best way to requeen a colony that has no brood or only capped brood and no queen?

If a new queen is introduced into a colony with no brood or only capped brood will the bees kill her?

THX


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## riverrat (Jun 3, 2006)

*heres how I would do it*

I would not release her straight into the hive I would leave her in the queen cage placed between 2 frames letting the bees release her by eating the candy. check in a few days if she has not been released watch to see if the bees are trying to feed here through the cage wire if they are it will be safe to remove the plug and release her. if they are biting at the wie they will not except her. how did your hive go queenless if it swarmed you may have a queen that hasnt started laying yet if this is the case they will probably not except her


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## peggjam (Mar 4, 2005)

I'd put a frame of open brood in the broodless one before I even attempted to requeen it.

I would also use a push in cage to do any queen introduction in any hive I suspected of being queenless for any length of time. Placed over some hatching brood, with a few open cells of nector, and if possible a few empty cells she can lay in.


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## ozzy (Feb 5, 2005)

Riverrat has the right idea. I certainly wouldn't put a frame of eggs or larvae in any hive I was trying to introduce a queen. Remember the bees cannot raise a queen from capped brood but they can easily try if they have young larvae or eggs. If however you want them to raise a queen or are not sure if they have a virgin about to lay then you may want to add just such a frame. Then if they have a queen you don't lose yours and if they don't they can start raising one. If in a 4 or 5 days you see emergency cells you can remove the frame and introduce your queen. Make sure that you prevent them from getting into the queen cage during the first 48 hrs. I have found that the candy in the plastic cages doesn't slow up the bees long enough for the queen to be properly introduced. If using a plastic cage you should tape the end with masking tape for at least 24 hrs. The wood cages may also allow the bees in to fast if the colony is strong so taping or corking the end may also be required.


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## peggjam (Mar 4, 2005)

"I certainly wouldn't put a frame of eggs or larvae in any hive I was trying to introduce a queen."

Why?


Placing in a frame of open brood will tell you lots of things, before you buy a queen, or lose a boughten one:

1) It will tell you if they are indeed queenless, if they start queencells, you don't have a queen.

2) If they have a queen there will be no queencells.

3) If they are a laying worker hive, the phermones from the open brood will help them stop doing that.

4) If you need to introduce a queen, you can use the push in cage methoed with a frame of brood.

5) A frame of open brood will give the hive a boost, which it will need anyway.


The list goes on and on. You can destroy any started queen cells on a frame of open brood before you introduce a queen, how hard is that.


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## Ravenseye (Apr 2, 2006)

Be careful introducing a new queen to an apparently queenless hive. I went through that this year. I also agree with Peggjam. Placing a frame of brood into a nearly broodless hive won't hurt a thing. You just have to watch that frame to learn what's going on.


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## ozzy (Feb 5, 2005)

The post said no queen was present so although your ideas are good in some situations, the situation is no queen and no chance for them to raise a queen during introduction. I would want to keep it that way if I was introducing a queen. In effect force them to accept my queen rather than start their own and that is all I am recommending.
Oz


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## peggjam (Mar 4, 2005)

I would rather someone place a frame of brood in, and know for sure that they are queenless, than to spend money buying a queen, and then having her rejected or killed because they couldn't reconize a virgin queen.


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