# When do you replace your queen?



## Ford Zoo (Jan 27, 2012)

We are getting ready for our first hive this spring (maybe, we still have a lot to learn first). Doing a lot of research and waiting for books to arrive, my biggest question right now is-when do you replace your queen? 

I ask because a local guy we know keeps bees (why, I do not know, he removes combs every year but does nothing with it, and preaches that you can't take honey to eat after the goldenrod starts blooming) He's trying to be my mentor, but he said that WE need to purchase and replace the queen every 2-3 years. I have not yet found info on this and I would like to hear what others do or experience. (this is the same man that has never raised goats but told me I would kill mine if I fed them alfalfa!!) 

Thanks in advance, I have been learning quite a bit reading the posts here!


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## Michael W. Smith (Jun 2, 2002)

Well, you are going to have two camps on this subject - 

One is where the beekeeper replaces the queen. Not only do you have to get into your hive to squish the queen, you then either have to buy a queen ($25.00 - $35.00) or grow your own. (And the bees may end up replacing her anyway.)

The second camp is where the beekeepers let the bees replace their queen as needed. The bees know when their queen isn't laying as she should and will supersede her on their own. You won't get much change in genetics - as your queen will be the queen's daughter, but then when ordering queens - most queens are going to come from the South. Here in the North where we cold winters, the queens may not be as hardy.

I'm a frugal beekeeper and try to keep my costs down. I let my bees do their thing and let nature take care of everything.


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## wogglebug (May 22, 2004)

> *When do you replace your queen?*


Quite frankly, not interested. 
She's been doing a pretty good job for over sixty years now, and while I don't think Charles would be inadequate, I do think he'd be barely there. He's better than a career politician, of course, but then cholera would be the same.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

I raise our own queens and replace them in the early fall every two years. *Genetics do change because the new queens mate with different drones which mate once and die.*

A hobby bee keeper can take a chance and not replace a queen. If their old queen gets replaced by the workers in the spring while a flow is on you loose about 21 days at least of production and for people who don't keep bees as a hobby that can be a big loss.
By changing the queen every two years in the fall, she is ready to fill the hive with workers so it is at or near peak when the honey flows are on. 

 Al


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## Ford Zoo (Jan 27, 2012)

Thanks for the responses. It only makes sense to me that the bees have been doing this for years on their own. Seeing how I like to be frugal and let nature do her own thing, we'll plan on seeing what happens as we move along.

And thanks for the chuckle this morning Wogglebug


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## Michael W. Smith (Jun 2, 2002)

alleyyooper said:


> *Genetics do change because the new queens mate with different drones which mate once and die.*


Well yeah, you get some different blood due to the drone. But I was talking more along the line of replacing an Italian queen by buying a Carniolan.

Now, if you have a beekeeper nearby who buys different kinds of queens, you'll get some of the drones to mate with your queens and get really different genetics than drones from all the wild hives in your area.


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## marusempai (Sep 16, 2007)

I'm glad to hear there really is a "let the bees do their thing" camp for replacing queens. Everybody around here seems to be of the "replace her yourself on a schedule" camp, and I really don't want to do that.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Ya'll will learn some day.
there is many a good reason to replace the queen and keep her healthy and not wait till she just plain retires and is in need of a walker.

Those old bee keepers who wrote the books and had input in the books knew there bees

 Al


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## HTWannabee (Jan 19, 2007)

One other idea is to make a spilt in the spring, taking out the old queen and a couple of frames from that hive and start a new hive with her to see how she does and requeening the old hive. Depending on your queen, they may want to swarm in the spring anyway and you can take advantage of that. Just a thought!


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## Ford Zoo (Jan 27, 2012)

Talked to the neighbor guy who let someone set hives about 1 1/2 miles from our place. He said they did awful this year, had 'mites and something else' in the hives, little honey production and large bee loss. Being so close, how susceptible will our new hive be? (I'm still reading up on all this so that we are ready to take precautions and know what to look for.)


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## marusempai (Sep 16, 2007)

alleyyooper said:


> Ya'll will learn some day.
> there is many a good reason to replace the queen and keep her healthy and not wait till she just plain retires and is in need of a walker.
> 
> Those old bee keepers who wrote the books and had input in the books knew there bees
> ...


Well, of course there are reasons. Very good ones. But when you're a noob, and your concern is keeping the bees alive and in your boxes, maximizing production by replacing the queen is low on the priority list.


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## indypartridge (Oct 26, 2004)

Keep in mind that if you want to replace queens on some kind of 2-3 year schedule, you must have marked queens, otherwise there's no way to tell if the queen you see is 3 years old or 3 weeks old.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Newbies seem to think you have to go out and buy a good queen.
Raising a new queen of your very own can be as simple as having a nuc box placing a frame or two with eggs in it and waiting about 30 day to get a new laying queen. No need to buy one from down south or out west. 
Once you have the nuc with a laying queen go into the old hive and find the old queen and squish her. Lay a sheet of news paper on the old hive and set a box on top with the new queen. They will eat thru the news paper and every thing should be fine.

George Imre said their are bee havers and there are bee keepers.

It isn't rocket science.

 Al


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## Ford Zoo (Jan 27, 2012)

That sounds simple enough. 

We found a place near us that breeds their own broods (is that the right term?) to sell. They cost a bit more and I will have to drive a few hours to get them, but I think I will feel a bit better knowing our first bees were born and bred in our own cold climate.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Sounds like a nuc of bees and from a northern climate too.

I need to look up a catalog for Reese's bee keeping supply in Wisconsin. Don't think they have a web site but their prices was good.

 Al


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## Finally Home (Oct 13, 2013)

May also try facebook for them. A few keeps here have facebook pages but no websites.


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## Ford Zoo (Jan 27, 2012)

I hadn't seen the Reese name before, let me know if you find them.

I think I'm going to start out with a colony from Honey Glow in Owens, WI. Anyone here have any experience with them?


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## Iddee (Sep 25, 2005)

Just keep in mind, there are many reasons to keep bees, and each one takes a different set of rules. Then in each reason, there are many ways to accomplish the mission. Just because one beek tells you a different way doesn't mean either way is wrong. I would suggest all new beeks start with 2 hives and don't replace the queen the first 2 years. After that, he/she will know what they want to do.


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