Feeding the queen

[Poly Hive]

I clip as a matter of course, it's saved more than a few swarms for me. The other use is if the markings have come off totally it's still obvious if there has been a supercedure if she is clipped.

PH

 

[Millet]

I clip all of mine as soon as they are mated and laying and any i buy in are clipped on arrival..the reason being my hives are 75 mile away and i can not be there everyday and when i miss that hard to find Queen cell buried deep in the comb i only loose the original Queen but not the workforce..a quick phone call from my lady friend to tell me if the bees are trying to swarm or not gets me there the next day..i had one such Queen last yer that tried to swarm when i was actually there...i found her on the ground among a small ball of bees so i put her in a nuc..one month later she tried again and i was there again and spotted her running around on the ground again so i stood on her..i never lost one swarm from that colony or any of the others last year thanks to clipped wings.

 

[tomNY]

Of course they would

I had a look in Tautz and Seeley and couldn’t find anything.

There are discussions on beesource and these are based on observations

Yes virgin queens feed themselves. Mated queens can but as their diet is made by the workers to fulfill a certain function ( laying) how long could a mated queen sustain herself?

In a colony a mated queen doesn’t have to feed or groom herself, it’s done for her. Whether any studies have been undertaken on queens in totally unnatural solitary confinement I don’t know. Is there any point in doing them?

Little late to the discussion
A key aspect of workers feeding laying mated queen is the mandibular pheromone. QMP is a biofeedback on quality of food.
When the pheromone changes it signals to workers to slow her down or speed her up through feeding. It's how a hive initially knows when to go off lay. The subtle changes in the QMP start a process. I'm sure seasonal variations of protein content towards end of season is a good example. As well as enzymes esters and bacteria.
Virgins will never be fed.
Attendants use their vitogellin to supply protein in a banked or caged situation and add needed enzymes. Best not to remove workers until cage insertion.
Queens will feed themselves but as a last resort.
Cheers

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[Popparand]

I clip all of mine as soon as they are mated and laying and any i buy in are clipped on arrival..the reason being my hives are 75 mile away and i can not be there everyday and when i miss that hard to find Queen cell buried deep in the comb i only loose the original Queen but not the workforce..a quick phone call from my lady friend to tell me if the bees are trying to swarm or not gets me there the next day..i had one such Queen last yer that tried to swarm when i was actually there...i found her on the ground among a small ball of bees so i put her in a nuc..one month later she tried again and i was there again and spotted her running around on the ground again so i stood on her..i never lost one swarm from that colony or any of the others last year thanks to clipped wings.

Wouldn't it just be simpler to move all the ladies closer to home?

 

[Millet]

Wouldn't it just be simpler to move all the ladies closer to home?

If I had a safe suitable place I would move them..sadly I don't..the hives most certainly be vandalized in the area where I live..on a plus side my hives are where my lady friend lives and it is a big conservation area..