Introducing queen to a nuc-am I doing it right?

[Skyhook]

On Saturday got my new Danish Buckfast queen to requeen my 'Hitchcock' hive. I made up a nuc as instructed by Hooper- 1 frame of emerging brood, 1 frame of stores, and some extra young bees shaken in. The queen was in a yellow plastic cage with a sliding lid and fondant at one end with a tab over it, so I removed the attendants and put her in the nuc in that, with a matchstick through the eye at one end to suspend it between the frames.

I looked in yesterday and all looked calm (for them). When I separated the frames for a better look however, bees walked onto the face of the cage and started biting it, so I put her back with the tab intact.

The cage is quite large (25 x 40 x 10mm?) with only a few slots in the side. I wondered if she is too isolated for them to become familiar, and whether I should transfer her to a butler cage and start again. Do people have any experience/views on this?

Also, as they are all young bees in there (any flying bees went straight back home) there is almost no traffic through the entrance. While I was watching, a wasp flew in unchallenged. I've reduced the entrance to 1 bee space, but they seem to have no interest in guarding it. Could I close it completely for few days? They have some stores, plus fondant for luck (fit's under the roof better, plus I thought it would be less likely to induce robbing) and 2 panels of mesh in the floor for ventilation. What do people think?

 

[plumberman]

Have a look at the Dave Cushman site, in particular the Steve Taber method. I use this exclusively now for queen introduction ( including my rather expensive danish buckfast last year).

http://www.*****************/bee/queenintro.html

Personally I prefer the butler cage, but as per the site above unless one side on a frame or protected there is no "safe" place for her to hide.

I think the main thing though is time: whilst she is in the cage the workers, despite their attitude will feed her and you can leave her happily there for 7 days or so ( Cushman found even up to 14 days).

Once you remove the plastic tab, it is only a matter of hours before she is released, so don't rely on that to delay matters significantly. Then leave minimum 5 days (I know, its hard to do).

As long as they have stores and have some means of ventilation ( or at least not in direct sunlight) then closure not an issue under normal circumstances for a couple of days.

 

[Poly Hive]

PH

 

[Skyhook]

Thanks guys. I've closed the entrance, and will change her into butler cage and reposition ASAP- probably the weekend.

 

[Hivemaker.]

I use the cages you describe, plus the twin chute one's all the time, for both introduction and posting,very good cages, plus the queen has an area to escape any biting attacks which could damage her tarsi ect.

 

[drstitson]

my last introduction, when i looked in at 5 days, i found they'd tunneled through the candy but HM was still in the cage! let her out myself and at next inspection all fine with plenty of BIAS.

 

[beesknee]

why have we got usefull info stared out?

 

[plumberman]

my last introduction, when i looked in at 5 days, i found they'd tunneled through the candy but HM was still in the cage! let her out myself and at next inspection all fine with plenty of BIAS.

Holy new acronym Dr S!

Brood In All Stages?

Its not in the sticky......

 

[xray7]

If wasps continue to become a problem there is some good anti robbing advice here :

http://www.ldbk.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Robber_Bees.pdf

 

[Skyhook]

I use the cages you describe, plus the twin chute one's all the time, for both introduction and posting,very good cages, plus the queen has an area to escape any biting attacks which could damage her tarsi ect.

Do you have them sandwiched between the frames, or on the top bars as in the Steve Taber method?

 

[Hivemaker.]

Do you have them sandwiched between the frames, or on the top bars as in the Steve Taber method?

Yes between the frames,preferably with sealed brood,and suspended with a short piece of frame wire going up to a bar/stick/rod,which rests across the top of the frames.

 

[Skylark]

If wasps continue to become a problem there is some good anti robbing advice here :

http://www.ldbk.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Robber_Bees.pdf

Excellent information on robber bees, I now know I have them and didnt know what they they looked like before reading this piece. Interesting advice about Vicks Vapour Rub putting them off the scent (wonder if tht works for wasps as well).
My new little hive has been under heavy attack from wasps and now I know the signs robber bees as well.
So far in response I have reduced entrance to 1 bee width, put up a transparant screen over the entrance made from a yoghurt pot lid, put a plant pot of mint near the entrance (I read today that the smell of mint puts off wasps) and will try the Vicks Vapor rub idea as well tomorrow.
Belt and braces I know but my hive is from a nuc from one of the big companies which arrived 3 weeks ago with no queen and no brood. They sent a new queen but I now have a weak hive I suppose trying to play catch up.

 

[Skyhook]

Update

Was going to move her into Butler cage, but bottled it- had visions of myself squashing/ losing her. Broke the tab last weekend. Checked today and she's walking free and unmolested!

AllI have to do now is get her aquanted with the other 90% of the colony. I'm thinking of waiting until she has brood, then introducing another frame of brood and young bees with newspaper, then another, and so on until she has most of the colony.

 

[Gardenbees]

Good news!
I was going to re-iterate the need for time. I recently introduced a Buckfast-type queen to a long-queenless hive, and had to leave her in the cage for a week. They accepted her after that, but I could probably have left her a little longer if necessary. Both she and her caged helpers were all still alive and lively.

Note that they may try to supercede her. This could either be because she is genuinely damaged or otherwise unsatisfactory (e.g. damaged leg from biting) or because she hasn't quite produced enough pheromones to satisfy them. Mine tried to supercede twice, with just one cell built each time, and I had a nerve-wracking wait to see whether she would "win". She stung the first cell, and they pulled it down and built another, but then destroyed it before the inmate was half-grown, and have obviously accepted the introduced queen now. So you may have to be patient with them before she is completely settled in.