No I will not squish her. Theresa gets respect and TLC. She is now essentially retired. Her hive is primed and set to *pump it*. I just put them out into the patch today, sending them into the flow.
What I was referring to wrt August is I fully expect them to naturally supercede her over the summer. This is actually the final stage, final test, of her colony. Will they replace her uneventfully without the hive missing a beat, without being set back in any way? Will they bee oblivious of the chance for renewal and instead take an old queen into another winter? I will not be in the brood nest again until mid August. So we have said our goodbyes. If she is still there and the hive still booming at the end of summer, well she either gets to wrap the calendar one more time - or maybe go to florida :)
Most queens I hive tool test proactively at end of their 2nd summer per my apiary program. The choicest ones, my breeders, are left to go on to retire and expire with dignity and grace on their own terms. This allows me to see their full cycle and fullest potential.
.... * pump it *, crank the volume. This is what I hear on a sunny day when the looking at a flurry of activity coming and going at the landing board.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psLjNy9-L_c
