Gwenyn Gruffydd: Hive Hour With Gruffydd Rees Q & A - Episode 5

About the hopelessly queenless start for nuclei before you introduce the new queen. I make 300-350 nucs between June 15 and July 15. These will build through the summer and overwinter here in Vermont. I make the nucs with one frame of feed, one of open brood, one of sealed brood, and one of pollen/nectar. Enough bees to cover the combs. I move them to a nuc yard and give a caged queen on the spot...with the cork out of the candy end. The queens are raised in my apiaries not long before they are given. My acceptance is very high...4 or 5 queens rejected in the 300-350 nucs. I find it's absolutely not necessary to allow the nuc to become hopelessly queenless for good queen acceptance. In fact, doing so is more work and leaves the acceptance open to issues. Just how I do it.

I have a hive thsts failing. Was strong i think it swarmed at least once and possibly left with a drone laying queen. Theres a queen cell in there now but its not looking great, looks a bit flat. Should i buy a queen or is it too fsr gone or late in the season?