Intriguing products?

[Boston Bees]

I saw these on the Abelo website and am just wondering what people think of them? I hasten to add I am not affiliated with Abelo! But as someone who doesn't particularly like trying to capture queens and put them in little cages (due to a lack of skill) I was wondering how I could use these? One of them takes a single national frame and stops access to all bees (i.e. it would be used as a queen introduction mechanism, just with a lot more bees and brood rather than just the queen I guess), the other takes two national frames and stops the queen escaping but allows bees in (so, more for controlling the amount of brood - but when/why would you do this?)

Could these be useful? If so, how? Or are they just a gimmick? TIA!

National Queen Trap - Welcome to Abelo's Beekeeping Supplies

National Queen Cage Introducer - Welcome to Abelo's Beekeeping Supplies

 

[Apple]

Look very much like the drone trap suggested as a method of Varroa removal some time ago.

I have successfully used it to get larvae of correct age for grafting..... exclude queen from brood for a week.
Reintroduce queen who lays up new eggs over one day... exclude queen again ,,, remove frame after three days,,, graft the new larvae into starter cells.......

Not a bad price......

Chons da

 

[Boston Bees]

Look very much like the drone trap suggested as a method of Varroa removal some time ago.

I have successfully used it to get larvae of correct age for grafting..... exclude queen from brood for a week.
Reintroduce queen who lays up new eggs over one day... exclude queen again ,,, remove frame after three days,,, graft the new larvae into starter cells.......

Not a bad price......

Chons da

Thanks.

Yes, I can see how that would work.

I don't graft personally, or remove drones, so that particular use wouldn't help me, but I will keep thinking! Always tempted by a new gadget ....

 

[Ian123]

Ones a queen trap for isolation of the queen as apple said above the other is effectively a large introduction cage. None help you catch or pick up the queen.

 

[Boston Bees]

None help you catch or pick up the queen.

Well, they do don't they, because you can just pick up the frame she is on and put it in the cage? Though, assuming that quite a few workers are also on that frame, I am not sure how that would go down in the hive you are introducing the cage to ...

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Well, they do don't they, because you can just pick up the frame she is on and put it in the cage? Though, assuming that quite a few workers are also on that frame, I am not sure how that would go down in the hive you are introducing the cage to ...

The first one is simply a queen trap to isolate the queen so you have a virtually broodless hive as part of your varroa IPM.
The second cage, well, looks like a pretty pointless exercise. If you are transferring queens from hive to hive within an apiary fair enugh (still not convinced though) if you are buying in a queen, I think the idea is you dunp her on a bee free frame with some emerging brood and keep them in the cage for a few days. Not convinced though, just put her in the hive in her travelling cage.

 

[Erichalfbee]

They say you can introduce a laying queen into a hive without a cage. I’ve never had the nerve to though.

 

[Ian123]

They say you can introduce a laying queen into a hive without a cage. I’ve never had the nerve to though.

Yes some do but it’s laying queen for laying queen not 1 that’s been in transit, also fine with quiet calm bees it’s not worked for me on those that are a little spicy!!

 

[Ian123]

Not convinced though, just put her in the hive in her travelling cage.

It’s really no different than the larger push in introduction cages that cover a portion of brood just larger. Probably works quite well, but at £30

 

[Erichalfbee]

Yes some do but it’s laying queen for laying queen not 1 that’s been in transit

Yes I know that. Somebody mentioned taking a frame with the queen on out of one hive and introducing her into another with this gizmo. I posted in that context.

 

[elainemary]

Look very much like the drone trap suggested as a method of Varroa removal some time ago.

I have successfully used it to get larvae of correct age for grafting..... exclude queen from brood for a week.
Reintroduce queen who lays up new eggs over one day... exclude queen again ,,, remove frame after three days,,, graft the new larvae into starter cells.......

Not a bad price......

Chons da

Like this idea. I tried cell punching last year, for queen rearing and to punch effectively you need the queen to lay up an older comb (cells more rigid than a new comb so easier to handle, remove punches and push into a cup on a graft bar). Added an old empty frame into the brood box and came back 4 days later, hoping the queen had laid it up, with some 1 day old larvae on. She had but I can see how this will guarantee the timing is right.

 

[user 819]

They say you can introduce a laying queen into a hive without a cage. I’ve never had the nerve to though.

I have done it, the queen has to be like for like so layer for a layer and clipped if already clipped.. A dunk in honey (well and truly covered) to take their minds off the fact she has changed and place her on the top bars or a bit of card or similar before she is cleaned up and disappears down. Don't faff about making them QL, be prepped and an instant swap. By the time they have cleaned her up she is accepted as if nothing has happened.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I have done it, the queen has to be like for like so layer for a layer and clipped if already clipped.. A dunk in honey (well and truly covered) to take their minds off the fact she has changed and place her on the top bars or a bit of card or similar before she is cleaned up and disappears down. Don't faff about making them QL, be prepped and an instant swap. By the time they have cleaned her up she is accepted as if nothing has happened.

I might take a deep breath and try.

 

[user 819]

I might take a deep breath and try.

A local beek friend was visiting Bulgaria one year and no matter which country he is in, he visits other beeks to learn some of their ways. The beek he met said he had 100% intro rate using honey dunking.
My friend tried it and had success with no failures, admittedly I have only tried three times but all three were successful.

 

[victor meldrew]

I might take a deep breath and try.

A dunk in water is quicker and just as effective! .

 

[Swarm]

A local beek friend was visiting Bulgaria one year and no matter which country he is in, he visits other beeks to learn some of their ways. The beek he met said he had 100% intro rate using honey dunking.
My friend tried it and had success with no failures, admittedly I have only tried three times but all three were successful.

As used by my friend from Bulgaria, he swears by it.

 

[Arfermo]

I saw these on the Abelo website and am just wondering what people think of them? I hasten to add I am not affiliated with Abelo! But as someone who doesn't particularly like trying to capture queens and put them in little cages (due to a lack of skill) I was wondering how I could use these? One of them takes a single national frame and stops access to all bees (i.e. it would be used as a queen introduction mechanism, just with a lot more bees and brood rather than just the queen I guess), the other takes two national frames and stops the queen escaping but allows bees in (so, more for controlling the amount of brood - but when/why would you do this?)

Could these be useful? If so, how? Or are they just a gimmick? TIA!

National Queen Trap - Welcome to Abelo's Beekeeping Supplies

National Queen Cage Introducer - Welcome to Abelo's Beekeeping Supplies

Many, many much cheaper Q catchers. I have only ever used the 'crown of thorns' thingy for clipping and marking. Sorry that I believe clipping to be a sensible precaution FOR ME!! You are free to do what you prefer and I have no problem with that my friends.

 

[lindsay s]

Well two of the queen traps just arrived here today. At £38:00 a pop they’re not cheap so I’ll pause for a minute till your howls of laughter die down! I intended to try them out to aid swarm control.
I split my stronger colonies by moving 2-3 frames of brood and a couple of stores into a nuc with a few extra shakes of bees for good measure. The nuc is then taken away with a few open Q cells which I’ll sort out a week later. I always leave the queen in the main colony because I usually replace them at the end of their third summer. This method works 90% of the time for me because the hive has new foundation to draw out, the queen has plenty of room to lay and a good chunk of the bees have gone. Despite being careful not to leave any Q cells behind in the main hives I had once 2 colonies swarm from the same apiary the day after they were split! (It was in a very sheltered garden which could get very warm and it might have stressed the bees.)
Now I have the ability to leave a queen in the trap with frames to be drawn out and room to lay in till things settle down. It’s much kinder to her than most of the Q traps / cages and I know she won’t escape (unless she has really slimmed down).
The trap bows a little at the top but the cover will keep it in shape. I’m going to cut a bit off the ends of mine to fit my short lugged top bars. There’s plenty of room for two Hoffman frames and the cover snaps shut, but it’s flush with the top bar so be careful not to squash bees! There’s a video on the Abelo site. I was originally looking for a smoker but it was out of stock so now I’ve ended up with the queen traps, two complete 12 frame poly hives and spare kit.

 

[steve1958]

There is always something new.
It's hard to believe that at one time Beekeepers built their own hives from wood,
Made a veil using window netting and a hat,
and their hivetool would have bee made by the local blacksmith in return for a jar of honey

 

[simonwig]

Just spotted the queen introduction cage on Abelo's website and wondering if anyone has tried it. For the price of a new queen it looks to me to have advantages over a travelling cage or a push in cage.

No need to go back to remove the tab on the cage, can leave her longer before releasing, I've had bees burrow under push ins, with the right frame, some emerging and empty cells the queen can do much more laying than a push in cage.

Simon