# Requeen but old queen not removed



## Slow Drone (Apr 19, 2014)

Take her back out if she's still alive.


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## wstanell (May 5, 2016)

The new queen is released hope the strongest survives??


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## AR Beekeeper (Sep 25, 2008)

If the old queen is still in the colony the queens will not fight, the workers will kill the new queen when she is released. If the old queen is dead or swarmed out, and the colony has started queen cells, the workers will kill the new queen when she is released. The only way the colony will take a queen that has come through the mail, and is not in an active laying condition, is if there is no queen in the colony and they have not started queen cells, or if there is no eggs/larvae for them to make a queen.


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## Phoebee (Jan 29, 2014)

wstanell said:


> I recently attempted to re-queen my established hive. The hive looked very strong with some queen cells but lots of brood in frames. The issue I have is I purchased new queen suspecting that the hive was weak but upon opening for the first time this spring hive looked very strong. Regardless I looked for the old queen but could not find her did not know what to do here I have a open hive with a new queen in a queen cage. So I put the new queen in the hive for a release.
> 
> Should I have not done that be that the hive looked strong will the two queen's if the old queen is there "fight" it out?


Been there, done that, got away with it. Either the old queen was gone or the new one nailed her. In our case the colony had attempted a supercedure. Thinking we were seeing swarm cells we cut them out, but then no other queen cells appeared and the hive went broodless. We guess they were in the mood for a new queen at that point. That was back 2014. That replacement queen is still alive, serving as a breeder in a nuc.

In a case like this, where the hive suddenly recovers and you have a new queen available, you could steal a couple of frames and some bees and build a nuc for the new gal. Then if the old queen fails, just combine the nuc with the old colony.


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## wstanell (May 5, 2016)

Thanks for the input well I guess I wasted $25 the hard part with this is the hive looks very strong with much new brood central brood no holes no shotgun of pattern. But there are a few queen cells ?? When and do you often requiri when and do you often requeen?


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## wstanell (May 5, 2016)

Do you ever re queen or do you let them do it naturally ?


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## wstanell (May 5, 2016)

Great advice. Thanks


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## wstanell (May 5, 2016)

Thinking back I bet the old queen was there in hive still but too many bees to find her. The thing that confused me was there was tons of brood in 2 large supers. The finding of queen cells is what really confused me more. Why QC if the queen is so strong?


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## AmericasBeekeeper (Jan 24, 2010)

Welcome again. Our idea of strong and healthy may not be the same as the bees idea. The first thing I would have done with two boxes of brood and two possible queens is make two hives. It is much easier to search if nothing else.


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