colony wont accept queens

[Caroline]

Just a thought.....
If the colony are producing / produced queen cells when a frame of eggs was added, then the colony will be expecting a virgin queen.
I have heard that if you then try to introduce a mated queen they may reject as they are expecting/want a virgin queen.
??

[Liam]

Basically they see any queen but there own as a foreign invader . I gave them 2 frames of eggs and a frame of pollen from another hive and will just let them re-queen and hope they don’t turn out terrible.

[Patrick]

Exactly what I would do in that situation Liam.

Go with it and let them raise their own queen, if that is what they are determined to do. And don’t be surprised if they then try and supersede that with a single or so large cell.

Sometimes for the best of reasons we get in a over management cycle and try to force it. It often fails and sometimes we need to just back off a while.

If they steadfastly refuse to requeen they will be ageing and dwindling anyway, so there comes a time to just shake them out and reuse the kit. At such times it’s worth remembering 4 out of 5 swarms naturally perish before the following spring.

[NigelP]

Yes, I read a few post on colony’s rather dying than having queen, crazy. This colony had always been poor and wild.

The nuc idea.. that’s what I did. I had all the nurse bees in one part and re-Queened them, they accepted her and she layed up frames, but was killed when trying to unite all.

It depends how you unite.....One of the more successful methods I use is when your new queen is accepted in the nuc and laying for a couple of weeks then upgrade them to a hive (use dummy boards if necessary) And place this right along side the hive you want to re-queen. Leave another week and then remove original hive off to one side, the flyers will end up entering the hive with your new queen. You can even add a few frames of brood to them.
To date never had the returning flyers ball or kill the new queen doing it this way....that's not to say it won't happen But the flying bees come back in drips and drabs and are now the "foreigners".
Then a week or so later newspaper/air freshener untie the rest of the move colony (mainly nurse bees....checking for queen cells.

Or as others have said stick a frame of eggs in and let them get on with it.

[MickBBKA]

It really is very interesting hearing peoples different experiences in different areas, its why generic advice is always such a bad idea in beekeeping. I have never in 9 years had a queen killed straight after introduction. The worst I have had is 4 or 5 frames of brood raised then supersedure, but never had one just done in before they had chance to change her for one they felt was their own.

" You never can tell with bees "