After another hive inspection yesterday I have decided to requeen one of my hives.
They are just to aggressive for me to enjoy working them, very little experience but the difference between this hive, the other hive and the nuc I installed is like night and day.
The hive I want to requeen is in a 8 deep, installed them a bit over 2 weeks ago, they were previously in a 10 deep, all the brood along with a full frame of honey and 1 empty frame were transferred to the box. I gave them an additional ideal box with foundation 10 days ago a few bees hanging about but they haven't started to draw any comb.
Yesterday when we inspected gave a few puffs of smoke in the entrance, and them rolled a bit of smoke over the frames, as soon as you lift a frame there are 50 bees around your veil trying to get at you, had probably a dozen stings in my gloves when we finished and I was very carful not to squash any bees. It was a similar story the previous inspection although my wife who was sitting 30m away behind the hive without any protection was stung. If I pull up in the ute 3 or 4 metre away from the hive at a 45 degree angle to the entrance we have a rolling wall of bees exiting the hive in about 15 sec that proceed to headbutt the glass trying to get at us.
For comparison the hive beside it was also a 10 deep that was packed down into a 8 at the same time, I gave them another deep at the same time as the hot hive received the ideal. They have started drawing 6 frames, a bit of smoke in the entrance and the bees are calm as while inspecting. The nuc that was installed at a similar time is as you would expect very easy to work with, didn't even put any smoke in the entrance yesterday.
I have ordered 2 queens for delivery later this month, intending to requeen the hot hive and probably do a split on the calmer hive just need to decide who to go about it.
I was thinking locating the queen in the hot hive killing her and leaving them queen less overnight or for a day before introducing the new queen in a cage would be the simplest.
Not sure how to do the split with the other hive, I moved a frame of brood and a frame of honey up into the extra deep I gave them 10 days ago. Yesterday the queen was up in the top box laying in fresh comb, empty cells in the brood frame I had moved up and it also looks like they are moving honey out of the honey frame I moved up to give her a bit more room as well.
Was thinking of doing a walk away split but by the time my queens arrive the top box should have plenty of brood and stores so simply splitting the 2 boxes might be an option.