Frame cage

[Dave /Oscroft]

Hi All,
What do you call the frame cage, that encloses the whole frame when introducing a new queen and accompanying bees., and where do you obtain one ?

Dave

 

[enrico]

I it mine in a queen cage which is about two inches long and one inch wide.
E

 

[madasafish]

I it mine in a queen cage which is about two inches long and one inch wide.
E

Made my own from varroa mesh floor..

 

[Anduril]

Introduction cage, bee equipment sell it, I believe there is another company as well.

 

[philipm]

Had mine from Beckys Bees only about £2. Used it a few times now seems to work well.

 

[sipa]

Do you mean a push in cage for introduction ?

 

[Bee Bumble]

Hi All,
What do you call the frame cage, that encloses the whole frame when introducing a new queen and accompanying bees., and where do you obtain one ?

Dave

One of these:
https://bee-equipment.co.uk/products/b-s-national-metal-queen-trap

Or one of these?
http://www.beckysbeesonlineshop.co.uk/queen-introduction-cage-1076-p.asp

 

[Wingy]

Make one from varoa mesh as stated above. That way you make the exact size you want.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Making one in the workshop as I type
No bees, just the queen though.
Maybe Dave means something else

 

[Etton]

Making one in the workshop as I type
No bees, just the queen though.
Maybe Dave means something else

Bought on last week £2.20
https://www.abelo.co.uk/shop/queen-rearing/nursery-cage-x-1/

 

[Erichalfbee]

Or maybe this which is a brood frame trap https://www.thorne.co.uk/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=4894
BUT it includes only the queen not the other bees

 

[drex]

Made my own brood frame trap using an old plastic QE, two strips of wood along the bottom which are hinged, and four bits on the sides which are shaped to fill in the rebate below the shoulders of a Hoffman frame. Cost about a quid. Was not going to shell out £50 for something I could easily make in a couple of hours. Used it successfully to trap the queen on an empty comb to give me larvae of a known age when I did my first bit of grafting.

 

[Dave /Oscroft]

One of these:
https://bee-equipment.co.uk/products/b-s-national-metal-queen-trap

Or one of these?
http://www.beckysbeesonlineshop.co.uk/queen-introduction-cage-1076-p.asp

Yes it is one of those, £41 smackers !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Madge]

Hi All,
What do you call the frame cage, that encloses the whole frame when introducing a new queen and accompanying bees., and where do you obtain one ?

Dave

One of these:
https://bee-equipment.co.uk/products/b-s-national-metal-queen-trap

Or one of these?
http://www.beckysbeesonlineshop.co.uk/queen-introduction-cage-1076-p.asp

I guess Dave is thinking about something like Bee Bumble's first link to Bee Equipment - but you can't use that for queen introduction because the recipient hive's bees will be able to get in and kill the queen. It's meant for queen trapping in varroa control (or, perhaps, breeding). Thornes sell a similar one and I think somebody has already linked to it.

I think you'll have to make your own if you want one like that for introduction.

The second link is ok - a push-in cage for introduction.

PS: but somebody told me the bees managed to tunnel their way into the push-in cage - fortunately, though, all was well.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I'm not keen on the plastic push in. I've never used one but I have seen them used. They are anchored at the corners with the plastic pins provided and twice I saw that bees had tunnelled under it. It very easy to make one of varroa mesh. You can push this through the cells right to the midrib. Stan made me one yesterday

 

[bjosephd]

It's an interesting idea though. IF there was a full frame cage that was a fine enough mesh or grid to NOT allow ANY bees through it would make queen introduction from a nuc or other hive a doddle. Rather than trying to catch a queen and a few local helpers under a home made queen intro cage half way over emerging brood and empty cells...

... you could rather just lift a whole frame out with the queen and adhered bees, cage the entire thing, and plonk it into the hive that the queen is destined for.

Then release her some days later once they are all friends.

Boom! Invention INVENTED. I'm gonna be a squillionair

 

[coffindodger]

Made one from mesh. Lots of pics on google, but don't try soldering as indicated by some - it doesn't work and isn't needed. My bees went straight through the back of the frame to release the queen. Huge hole. All are happy and she's laying well, so they must have really wanted her.
Cage gives a chance to see whether she is likely to be accepted or whether there is a lurking queen. These videos show exactly what I've seen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YTFV7B0b6k
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQJ8bJj1XIs

 

[Madge]

Made one from mesh. Lots of pics on google ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YTFV7B0b6k
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQJ8bJj1XIs

No, those links are just of the usual, standard queen cage method. Dave wanted something beeproof to trap the queen and and adhering bees on the comb that she's on, and introduce that to the new hive.

 

[B+.]

No, those links are just of the usual, standard queen cage method. Dave wanted something beeproof to trap the queen and and adhering bees on the comb that she's on, and introduce that to the new hive.

Have you considered something similar to the "Picketing" idea used by Indian Summer Bee Farm (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWsWUSCFIxY). It should be possible to use a bee-proof material between two combs which allows the queen to come into lay but they can feed her from the outside. It's really just a big "push-in" cage.

 

[iand]

Hi All,
What do you call the frame cage, that encloses the whole frame when introducing a new queen and accompanying bees., and where do you obtain one ?

Dave

To introduce a frame or two of brood n bees + Queen. We use a sheet of The Yorkshire Post to place the frames (langstroth) in. Similar to using a sheet of paper between boxes. You may need to use two sheets if you read the smaller papers.