What have you done today bee-related?

[JoJo36]

Thanks for all the helpful comments:)
I've ordered another 2 in 1 nuc box and more frames and foundation yesterday when I went to make up my new snelgrove I realised that my many frames made up were supers not brood!!
I scrambled to get some old knackered looking frames on the edges to make up box and threw it all together with a couple of dummy boards in there! They did have loaded QC's so the snelgrove was the way to go!
Hoping that when I switch boxes next week the older bees will settle down and be happy with the old queen for a bit!!
At least this way I've got another chance with the new queen if they take a dislike to the old one returning!
I'm going to try air freshener as it worked joining hives for me:)

[JoJo36]

Btw Ericm,
Do you literally take out old queen, squirt and place new queen in the hive or do you take out old queen having to destroy QC's a few days before adding new queen?!

[Ericm]

I take out the old queen and add the new one immediately. If you feel uneasy about that then leave her in a cage for 24 hours after putting her in the hive.

[JoJo36]

Ericm
Sounds a good quick method and I'm going to swap out for my useless one immediately!!
Thanks:)

[NigelP]

I take out the old queen and add the new one immediately. If you feel uneasy about that then leave her in a cage for 24 hours after putting her in the hive.

Ericm, what are you putting and what are putting her into? If I was to add a new Buckfast queen directly to a hive of local bees then they would most probably kill her immediately. If I was adding a new Buckfast queen to a Buckfast colony I might get away with it.

[NigelP]

Visited my mating apiary where I'd put some queens to get mated about a month ago. One is calm and has polished cells. The other was rammed with brood, eggs etc, a full super plus queen cells, some capped. OHO This is on verge of swarming I thought. Dashed back home to get snelgrove board, another brood box and super. Its only a 4 mile round trip. Got back to hive opened up and thought where have they all gone...answer a a massive swarm thirty foot up a tree. No chance of recovery. Did me opening them up trigger them to swarm? It was only 12pm. Will never know but a waste of a lot of bees. I did leave an empty brood box with frames beneath swarm in hope they might decide that would be their new home. I'll see today, but I doubt it.

[Ericm]

I take out the old queen and add the new one immediately. If you feel uneasy about that then leave her in a cage for 24 hours after putting her in the hive.

Ericm, what are you putting and what are putting her into? If I was to add a new Buckfast queen directly to a hive of local bees then they would most probably kill her immediately. If I was adding a new Buckfast queen to a Buckfast colony I might get away with it.

Not had a problem yet, I wouldn't have thought they were astute enough to know the difference.

[NigelP]

Not had a problem yet, I wouldn't have thought they were astute enough to know the difference.

They can be. I've had locals still trying to attack Buckfast queen in cage after 72 hours. You can easily tell if accepted as bees brush off cage really easily, but when they are difficult to move off i.e. clinging to cage, they have not accepted her. I'm still interested in what type/strain of queen you are introducing to what type of strain hive. Most of my introductions these days are Island Mated Buckfast queens being introduce into Buckfast F1 hives.

[Ericm]

Not had a problem yet, I wouldn't have thought they were astute enough to know the difference.

They can be. I've had locals still trying to attack Buckfast queen in cage after 72 hours. You can easily tell if accepted as bees brush off cage really easily, but when they are difficult to move off i.e. clinging to cage, they have not accepted her. I'm still interested in what type/strain of queen you are introducing to what type of strain hive. Most of my introductions these days are Island Mated Buckfast queens being introduce into Buckfast F1 hives.

Buckfast to swarms usually so I have no idea hat they are. Did one with an aggressive hive yesterday. All went well but because they were aggressive I left the queen caged for 24 hours and then sprayed again just before release.

[JoJo36]

I've taken out my useless queen and put her in freezer as I didn't fancy squashing her!!
My 2 snelgroved hives were put back with old queens in bottom box and QL ones on top!
I've destroyed swarm cells today which was expected but one of the queens is still with swarmy workers!
I've put one of the top brood boxes to the side on a stand and the swarmy bottom one is still in place with QL box above!
If the new queens are accepted and they lay, I'm planning to reduce frames in lower box gradually and eventually get it down to one brood box. The old queen is left as insurance! I'm going to squirt air freshener and leave in cage with fondant I'm thinking but also thought of taking out new queen and clipping her before going back in cage?! Maybe too fiddly getting attendants out, clipping queen and getting her back in box??!!