# Italian queen in a Russian hive results



## Tenbears (May 15, 2012)

Getting a bred queen this time of year may be tough. so the idea to wait until spring would be a wise one, It would be a shame to pinch off the queen only to have the replacement fail, and then not be able to get another.


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## GaryG74 (Apr 9, 2014)

Have you had problems with skunks or raccoons bothering the hives? Critters harassing the hive at night might be making them mean.

Agree with Tenbears, wait till Spring before doing any thing. Their attitude with the present queen might improve by then too.


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## kilocharlie (Dec 27, 2010)

Welcome to Beesource!

If your mean hive was partly Africanized, you won't get "nice bees" for a generation or 2 just by re-queening with a gentle queen. Some of that defensive behavior is learned from bees already in the hive, it's not 100% genetic.

None the less, use your cappings fork to get rid of the drones from the meanest hives. Check them for mites while you're at it. Add a comb of drone-sized cells to the gentlest hives, and keep the pollen patties fresh every few days in the drone colonies.


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## gator (Apr 16, 2016)

kilocharlie said:


> Welcome to Beesource!
> 
> If your mean hive was partly Africanized, you won't get "nice bees" for a generation or 2 just by re-queening with a gentle queen. Some of that defensive behavior is learned from bees already in the hive, it's not 100% genetic.
> 
> None the less, use your cappings fork to get rid of the drones from the meanest hives. Check them for mites while you're at it. Add a comb of drone-sized cells to the gentlest hives, and keep the pollen patties fresh every few days in the drone colonies.



Thanks for the replies. 

I have no signs of predators like raccoons in the area. 

I'll wait another generation to see if that helps. I only have one hive. Can I kill all the drones in the hive? 

Gator


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## kilocharlie (Dec 27, 2010)

With only one colony, it's probably not the best idea if the other drones in the area are the source of the "mean" traits. 

Better to get some mild-mannered queens and breed from the gentlest ones every year, as you get more colonies, kill the drones of the mean ones, add drone comb to the good ones.


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