Oddbean new post about login | logout Beekeepers of Nostr My old Queen is definitely getting towards the end of her productivity. Lots of scattered and patch brood but she’s putting up a valiant last effort. The hive now has a single superseder queen cell and I think she’ll hatch any day. I’m not expecting the old queen to swam as the hive isn’t strong enough. They are a very chill hive and I figure the new queen may have a similar temperament. So the questions I have are: Do I leave them to requeen themselves? Should I pinch the old queen before the new one hatches? Should I organise to requeen them myself? I figured that I can always replace the new queen if the hive gets rowdy.
I know nothing about bee keeping, but when in doubt with farming questions I usually choose the 'leave it to nature' approach.
There is not fertile male duribg this season in northern hemisphere, but if you live in southern hemisphere you must know when is the proper time for mating. If your queen cell will be ready till that time left them alone to requeen naturally. If you live in northern hemisphere you should buy a fertile queen, retire the old one and introduce the new one to the hive. (Sorry about my English)
Your English is better than mine and I’ve been speaking it all my life! It’s spring here and all the bees are very active I think it’s an ok time for mating. There are drones in my hive 🤞🏻they might get the job done. I’ll look into getting a mated queen just in case they don’t succeed in the overthrow of the existing monarchy.
It's kind of you dear Jen. So don't worry. Let them do their job.
nostr:nprofile1qqsfyhjcmr7jp8v6sjvlsuy6eqk6enfdtjyy4ryrv3uwdz8jjegw3xspzdmhxue69uhhwmm59e6hg7r09ehkuef0ke2v8y is my bee spit dealer
I reckon I'd want nostr:nprofile1qqsgk539zq9ercdt86rv5r3qnzarmsyca4gnuc7d728p5cq05q9xkrgpp4mhxue69uhkummn9ekx7mqpzfmhxue69uhk7enxvd5xz6tw9ec82cspzamhxue69uhkummnw3ezuendwsh8w6t69e3xj7s84kuwj 's opinion too.
Absolutely agreed
Are they definitely supersedure cells and not swarm cells (in middle of frame vs on the edge) If so I’d just let nature nature
Yep one fat peanut in the middle of the frame. I’ll leave them to it.
I have requeened and left it to nature and I have never noticed the difference. Sounds like it is time for your queen to move on though. If they are quiet, I'd leave it to nature and hope the old queen doesn't take a swarm. Have they got plenty of space?
Yeah they have heaps of space. I can’t see that she would take a swarm it really only feels like a nuc hive as it is right nice. They are in an 8 frame brood box with an ideal super but they haven’t moved up yet.
👍 It could take over a week after the new queen emerges before she starts laying. So check again for eggs after that.
Thank you! It’s my first time dealing with a Queen being replaced and I’ve been a bit at a loss for what to do. I’ll generally check them once a week weather permitting at the moment.