Re-Queening package Bees

So I am new here and have been doing tons of reading prior to joining. I have decided this year was the year to get started with my own bees. I have ordered my equipment and secured 2 3 pound packages of Italian bees. My question is it possible to re queen these colonies at the time of install. I would like to swap the queens to Cordovans for both packages. I was not able to find packages of Cordovans in my area and there for would like to try this work around for the first year. Any thoughts or suggestions? My plan is to install the package day 1 queen less and day 2 install the cordovan queens. Does this sound feasible?

I think your plan will work as long as you allow the bees to chew through the candy in the queen cage. No doubt you have something in mind for the Italian queens. Hopefully not queen bee heaven.

Hi @Jlc,

Cordovan is rather a description of a colour in Italian bees than a separate breed.
Technically, it makes no difference what queen to install, the one that comes with package or a different one. Method will be the same. Choose the one you like and go with it. Here is an example.

Unless you have other plans, I would recommend to donate your original queens to someone locally who may need them to avoid wastage. It worth to let people know in advance, so they can pick them on the day of arrival. Prolonged keeping queens in cage negatively affects their productivity.

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In part… no it is not feasible for the following reason. If you shake that package at night…and leave it queenless for the following day, the majority of those bees will be gone somewhere (abscond) within hours…there is nothing to ‘anchor’ them in their new surroundings.

But there is a way that will work…I’ve used it in a similar situation.

Find a dark, cool, inside location where the package shook into the broodbox can be held for a few days…no flying. Put them to work right away by installing an inside feeder full of thicker sugar syrup in the brood box as per photo below…this helps them anchor to their new surroundings and accept a new queen. But your location has to be cool to inhibit flight…and the top of the hive should be well insulated so the heat stays in the hive…they will start to build wax and take feed immediately.

I would swap queens during the installation process (shaking package into brood box) and do a release of the queen 3 days later…and the following day take them outside. There is a chance the queen can be released sooner.

To me, requeening one breed to another breed during this sensitive time, exposes the beekeeper to unnessary risk…perhaps not justified…especially the novice beekeeper. Is there anyway you could make up some nucs midsummer and change genetics then?

I’ve seen very robust colonies headed by plain Italians.

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