Swarmy National with chalkbrood and another a National with a queen getting through QE.

[Speybee]

Just inspected my “swarmy” National which has a drone laying queen.No laying workers as no multiple eggs found just single eggs.
I was going to unite the remainder with a stronger hive but I have noticed some chalkbrood which is nowhere else in the other 4 hives. The marked queen was seen.
I am now considering the following options
1) Not unite this chalkbrood colony as I would spread disease.
2) Just let the colony die out as it’s mostly drones.
3) Remove the 2 frames with chalkbrood and replace with fresh comb and add 3 deep frames of sealed brood with nurse bees and a newly caged mated queen to form a new Nuc, then char/burn out and clean the National for future use.

Another National hive seems to be congested as I can see them all blocking up the entrance over the mesh floor.
Have added a super for more ventilation but no improvement.
This inspection showed freshly sealed brood on in the honey super on top of the queen excluder.
I found the queen in the deep brood nest on the bottom of a 1 and 1/2 brood nest.
The bees in the deep brood have hatched but queen not laying in there.
The deep brood nest frames now black comb so later today I am going to replace 6 frames with new deep frame comb to encourage her to go into the deep brood nest box and swap the hive bodies around.
Is it common for a caged mated queen introduced in mid July to get through a wired Queen excluder?
Should I replace her?

 

[Speybee]

The question for the first part is..... are either of options 2) or 3) a good idea?

 

[drex]

Chalkbrood is endemic. It is said the best treatment is to re queen, so I would just kill the DLQ and unite, or as you say buy in a new queen. I would also improve the ventilation in the hive, if needed. I see a bit of chalkbrood in several hives in spring, and do not take much notice as it clears as the weather picks up

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Just inspected my “swarmy” National which has a drone laying queen.No laying workers as no multiple eggs found just single eggs.
I was going to unite the remainder with a stronger hive but I have noticed some chalkbrood which is nowhere else in the other 4 hives. The marked queen was seen.
I am now considering the following options
1) Not unite this chalkbrood colony as I would spread disease.
2) Just let the colony die out as it’s mostly drones.
3) Remove the 2 frames with chalkbrood and replace with fresh comb and add 3 deep frames of sealed brood with nurse bees and a newly caged mated queen to form a new Nuc, then char/burn out and clean the National for future use.

Another National hive seems to be congested as I can see them all blocking up the entrance over the mesh floor.
Have added a super for more ventilation but no improvement.
This inspection showed freshly sealed brood on in the honey super on top of the queen excluder.
I found the queen in the deep brood nest on the bottom of a 1 and 1/2 brood nest.
The bees in the deep brood have hatched but queen not laying in there.
The deep brood nest frames now black comb so later today I am going to replace 6 frames with new deep frame comb to encourage her to go into the deep brood nest box and swap the hive bodies around.
Is it common for a caged mated queen introduced in mid July to get through a wired Queen excluder?
Should I replace her?

Others have spoken about chalkbrood options but I'll add you need to VERY carefully inspect your wired queen excluder for a bent wire!

 

[Speybee]

Chalkbrood is endemic. It is said the best treatment is to re queen, so I would just kill the DLQ and unite, or as you say buy in a new queen. I would also improve the ventilation in the hive, if needed. I see a bit of chalkbrood in several hives in spring, and do not take much notice as it clears as the weather picks up

Thanks for advice

 

[Speybee]

Others have spoken about chalkbrood options but I'll add you need to VERY carefully inspect your wired queen excluder for a bent wire!

I never thought of the wires being bent as they were really sturdy thick rounded wires.
I will look next week at my next inspection as I needed to see if the queen had nipped back up the QE again.
Thanks for that advice.