Balling the Queen

[the beehive lodge]

just wondering if other bee-keeper's have experienced this first hand and what was the out come
why is this done and could it be us the keeper's causing (this strange) thing to happen.
thanks in advance

 

[biglongdarren]

i know its early but i marked a queen last week,when she was marked one of the other bees that was under the crown of thornes with her started biting and pulling at her wings,the rest really took a long hard long at her and started crowning her.i sprayed them with a little syrup and they all calmed down after a minute ot two,she eventully was able to walk about on her own and went away about her business again,it was the first time ad ever seen anything like this and it was all very nerve rackin at the time
Darren

 

[MJBee]

It is invariably the actions of the beekeeper that cause this. Releasing a queen too soon after marking where the smell of the marker masks the queen scent. Releasing a new queen too soon before she has been fully accepted are two reasons I can think of I'm sure there are more.

PS a spray of water or weak sugar syrup will usually break up the ball and let you rescue the queen hopefully before she has been damaged.

 

[Headnavigator]

It is invariably the actions of the beekeeper that cause this.

Not always, MJBee. Last June I heard a roaring sound from one (apparently normal) hive and only a foot or so away was a cluster of bees on the ground. Never gowned up so fast, went back to investigate, it was a queen being balled. Stupidly I rescued her and checking no other queen in the hive (I don't mark) caged and replaced her and she was accepted back a day or so later. She then became a drone-layer and was despatched. Should have let the bees have their own way in the first place.

 

[Black Comb]

I saw this last year. I caught a queen in one of those plungers sold by Big T and clipped and marked her. Let the paint dry.

When I released her they went for her and started to ball her. I sprayed with perfumed water and delicately moved her to the outside edge of the frame. She paused and then went down into the seam.

She's still there and is laying OK this year,

I blamed myself for not washing the plunger after marking the previous queen. Just a guess.

 

[biglongdarren]

I blamed myself for not washing the plunger after marking the previous queen. Just a guess.[/QUOTE]

i marked a lovely blonde queen a few years ago and never washed my plunger afterwards,got me in all sorts of bother
Darren

 

[Poly Hive]

Yes, seen it in an ob hive when I introduced a queen not realizing there was a virgin in there. By the time I got the screws undone again she was dead.

PH