Introducing a Queen

[Lucky Bee]

I have one hive with bees on 10 frames but no queen. They have filled all the cells with nectar in the brood box and ignored the super. There is no brood. I have another hive that is an AS containing a lovely queen but not many bees. I have fed them and kept the floor in but they aren't drawing the foundation. Could I put a clean sheet of foundation into the clogged box, introduce the queen in a queen cage and then unite the AS hive with it? Also very worried about varroa treatment. I have a feeling I should wait until introductions are complete thinking the smell of the treatment may make them reject the queen. I'm a newbee so really sorry if I'm being dumb.

 

[For want of a better word]

Unite the two colonies
Put the colony with the queen in the brood box on top of the colony you wish to unite with, placing a sheet of newspaper to cover in between the two boxes.
If you have supers on,either put them under the respective brood boxes or clear them.
No queen excluders anywhere !

Bees will remove newspaper an unite in a few days.

Then think about treating for varroa.
good luck

 

[Lucky Bee]

Fantastic sounds much easier than my way. Thank you.

 

[oliver90owner]

Uniting has no real problems, but you must be sure there is no queen in the 'queenless' part before doing so.

If there were, you would possibly end up with a dud queen and without your 'lovely queen' very late in the season. Newbies are notoriously inept at that part of the process. You may not be, but be sure....

 

[Outlander]

Uniting has no real problems, but you must be sure there is no queen in the 'queenless' part before doing so.

If there were, you would possibly end up with a dud queen and without your 'lovely queen' very late in the season. Newbies are notoriously inept at that part of the process. You may not be, but be sure....

with Grumpy

 

[Lucky Bee]

I will double check before uniting and ask an experienced beekeeper to have a look with me. Thanks for the warning.

 

[For want of a better word]

Uniting has no real problems, but you must be sure there is no queen in the 'queenless' part before doing so.

If there were, you would possibly end up with a dud queen and without your 'lovely queen' very late in the season. Newbies are notoriously inept at that part of the process. You may not be, but be sure....

Tractor man is not grumpy!
he loves to party!