I have a colony that just refuses to accept any queen. The most recent queen I have introduced has been in her cage for 5 days in the hive. I tried to release her on a frame today so I could monitor the reaction and they just balled her up.
This colony is 3 brood boxes, two of which was brood, the third being honey and 2 half full supers.
Originally to re-queen them: I had split them and introduced a queen into the split and reunited after 10 days with the foragers.(after unite she was killed). It took another 12 days for a queen to arrive due to supply at the time. While all this is going on I'm donating frames of brood, eggs. I decided as time was getting on to unite them back with the old queen that was laying well in a nuc, I caged her, and united, she wasnt accepted.
So, I have a queen in a cage in the hive but it doesnt look likely she will be accepted. Every frame of eggs donated they built queen cells on, and I have no laying workers from what I can see.
Im thinking: I move the hive from the stand and replace with a brood box and let all foragers return here (probably 70% of hive by now) Then take what nurse bees are left and unite them with a snelgrove split I did that has no queen in top box yet, then introduce the queen to this colony instead.
What to do with the colony that will not accept a queen? Give them some eggs and just let them get on with it? knock down to one QC and hope?.
This colony is 3 brood boxes, two of which was brood, the third being honey and 2 half full supers.
Originally to re-queen them: I had split them and introduced a queen into the split and reunited after 10 days with the foragers.(after unite she was killed). It took another 12 days for a queen to arrive due to supply at the time. While all this is going on I'm donating frames of brood, eggs. I decided as time was getting on to unite them back with the old queen that was laying well in a nuc, I caged her, and united, she wasnt accepted.
So, I have a queen in a cage in the hive but it doesnt look likely she will be accepted. Every frame of eggs donated they built queen cells on, and I have no laying workers from what I can see.
Im thinking: I move the hive from the stand and replace with a brood box and let all foragers return here (probably 70% of hive by now) Then take what nurse bees are left and unite them with a snelgrove split I did that has no queen in top box yet, then introduce the queen to this colony instead.
What to do with the colony that will not accept a queen? Give them some eggs and just let them get on with it? knock down to one QC and hope?.