Ahem, guess what I did today?

[kazmcc]

I think this monumental moment deserves is own thread. Today, I marked my first queen. I was all ready to go. I've been using a queen marking tube to catch bumbles and one Andrena scotica, but that one kept escaping, so I thought I was confident using it. On our 2nd run through looking for her, Dusty spotted her on the last frame. As soon as he said " There she is! " I started shaking. Then she refused to walk into the tube, so Dusty shuffled her in and handed her to me. Ok, I may have got a teeeeeny bit on her wing but not much

Does this mean I'm a beekeeper now?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Yes, well done - but the faffing around persudaing her to get in the tube just shows you why a crown of thorns is much easier

 

[kazmcc]

To be honest, I was shaking that much I probably would have given her a nice new piercing. Talk about pressure!

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[chrisb]

To be honest, I was shaking that much I probably would have given her a nice new piercing. Talk about pressure!

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well done,

 

[charlievictorbravo]

Ok, I may have got a teeeeeny bit on her wing but not much

Does this mean I'm a beekeeper now?

Before you can claim that distinction, you'll have to wait and see if that bit of paint on her wing upsets the workers. It happened to me last year when I put paint on the queen's wing and they superseded her almost straight away.

The jury's out, Kaz!

CVB

 

[kazmcc]

Before you can claim that distinction, you'll have to wait and see if that bit of paint on her wing upsets the workers. It happened to me last year when I put paint on the queen's wing and they superseded her almost straight away.

The jury's out, Kaz!

CVB

I think I got away with it. We watched her for a few mins after she had dried. She was wandering happily and they didn't pay her much attention

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[kazmcc]

well done,

Thank you can't believe how nervous I was!

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[Cussword]

Nice one Kaz, last year I left a queen with what looked like a blue cloak. There was a drop of paint on the brush that dropped on her, I was dreading putting her back. No problem, the workers treated her like royalty.

.

 

[snelgrove]

And it's white this year, the best colour for spotting the queen

 

[Erichalfbee]

Nice one well done
The last queen I re-marked ended up dead on the landing board
Heaven knows why. I've marked loads but it still gives me the jitters.

 

[kazmcc]

Nice one Kaz, last year I left a queen with what looked like a blue cloak. There was a drop of paint on the brush that dropped on her, I was dreading putting her back. No problem, the workers treated her like royalty.

.

Thanks I would have drowned her in it if Dusty hadn't told me to dab the excess on my glove lol. All things to learn. Tbh, I knew that but what you know sat at home and what you know at the hive are two different things lol

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[meath]

fair play, always nice to get the first out of the way, I went today to mark my queen, I could have put lipstick and eye shadow on, she was very calm,

she was bloody dead on the floor of the hive.

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

You did ok, kid!

Better than the time I was showing novices how to do it at our BKA apiary.
I held the bottle in one hand, the brush in the other, marked the queen beautifully, returned the frame to the brood box - and poured lovely green paint all over three frames and about 20 bees, in the process!

Luckily the apiary manager was away that night. Managed to wipe it off the frames, but we had multiple 'queens' for weeks.

Dusty.

 

[theeggman]

To Kaz and Dusty.

Being a 'Beek' is a long learning curve, mainly straight up.
Kaz you have another first out of the way.

 

[kazmcc]

Nice one well done
The last queen I re-marked ended up dead on the landing board
Heaven knows why. I've marked loads but it still gives me the jitters.

Thank you! It's reassuring to know in not the only one who gets a bit jittery about it

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[kazmcc]

fair play, always nice to get the first out of the way, I went today to mark my queen, I could have put lipstick and eye shadow on, she was very calm,

she was bloody dead on the floor of the hive.

Oh no! I had a go at scooping up worker bees and not a tremble in sight! Bumbles, dead easy. One little queen and I fall apart

 

[kazmcc]

You did ok, kid!

Better than the time I was showing novices how to do it at our BKA apiary.
I held the bottle in one hand, the brush in the other, marked the queen beautifully, returned the frame to the brood box - and poured lovely green paint all over three frames and about 20 bees, in the process!

Luckily the apiary manager was away that night. Managed to wipe it off the frames, but we had multiple 'queens' for weeks.

Dusty.

Thank you for letting me have a go

 

[kazmcc]

To Kaz and Dusty.

Being a 'Beek' is a long learning curve, mainly straight up.
Kaz you have another first out of the way.

Thank you Hearing other people's mishaps is reassuring. I've been telling anyone who will listen all day lol

Big thank you to everyone who has wished me well. I'll get the hang of this app soon so I can thank everyone in one post

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Before you can claim that distinction, you'll have to wait and see if that bit of paint on her wing upsets the workers. It happened to me last year when I put paint on the queen's wing and they superseded her almost straight away.

The jury's out, Kaz!

CVB

I think I got away with it. We watched her for a few mins after she had dried. She was wandering happily and they didn't pay her much attention

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A few years ago, using one of those damned plunger thingies (experimenting with the new 'mark and turn' ones from big T's), and a temperamental pen I slathered a queen in yellow paint, it was all over her- wings and all - in fact I was worried at one point the paint woas going to dry and leaver her stuck to the inside of the cage - I got her out and she scuttled between the frames. I was convinced she was done for. The following week, I opened up and there she was, the workers had tidied her up - clean wings and clean head and abdomen - apart from a perfect circle of paint left in the middle! She went on to give me loads of prolific daughters, hundredweights of honey (even in poor seasons) and they finally superseded her last autumn.

 

[kevrhcfag]

And it's white this year, the best colour for spotting the queen

Not when the Balsams out.