Just a quick hello

[unclesteen]

Gosh. First forum I've ever joined.

I'm not new to beekeeping having had my first introduction back in the 70's. Didn't start my own apiary until the mid eighties though, when I ran a smallholding on Dartmoor and had a bash at the good life for a few years. Happy days. Kid's, mariage, responsibilities and varroa all seemed to come along at once and what with a move across the Tamar into Cornwall my interest wained somewhat and the bees and I parted company in the early noughties.
Once more back into the fold (second year, six hives) I would like to thank all contributors to this excellent site, it is surprising how soon one forgets or at least needs reassurance on often the simplest of problems. Maybe you know the sort of thing, you're sure you know what to do but you feel much more confident if you just check it out with others first.

Queen balling is my head scratching problem today. I introduced a new mated queen to a newly made up nuc, two frames of brood one of stores and two of drawn comb. There was a lot of candy in the bung and it took 24hrs for her to get out, I had left the nuc queenless 6 hrs before introduction. When I checked to see if she was out I noticed a ball of bees on the OMF gently nudging these I found the queen at it's centre. They then went onto one of the frames and balled there. I closed up the hive. Four hours later not wishing to open up the hive again and looking through the entrance, I again saw a golf sized ball on the bottom of a frame and assume (a dangerous thing to do in beekeeping I know) that she was probably at the centre of that. Now from my memory (another dangerously unreliable thing) balling occurs durring mating, and more sinisterly when the workers wish to kill. Can somebody please tell me I'm wrong.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Not always an attack.

I am sure I witnessed one of mine being balled last year (my first) when I opened up in bad weather and in a blind panic I just shut up the hive and ran away.
She was OK when I looked in again a week later.

Wedmore says,

"In certain circumstances worker bees crowd round and enclose the queen. This is believed to be a panicky attempt to protect her. It is liable to occur if the queen is frightened. It is most likely to occur during or following manipulation in the spring in poor weather when stores are short, in small lots, and during robbing; in other words, in time of stress and at times when the queen could not be replaced by the bees. Old bees, long queenless, are liable to ball a new queen on introduction, or a virgin queen on her return to the hive.

When balling, the bees form a ball with the queen at the centre. Balling is accompanied by a distinctive hissing sound in the note of the colony. The ball will become tighter if the operator endeavours to break it by hand or by the application of smoke, and the queen will probably be damaged or even suffocated. If balling is seen, close the hive at once, if practicable, and await more favourable circumstances. The ball can be broken up by dipping in water, but the queen should then be caged for a time, and the condition of the stock seen to.

To avoid balling make the minimum of disturbance in the spring, making any necessary full examination when honey is coming in or after feeding, and stop if, signs of balling, occur. The more excitable dark races are the most likely to ball their queen.

 

[unclesteen]

Thanks ericA.

Hope springs.

unclesteen

 

[unclesteen]

Took a quick, gentle, peek. No smoke, no gear. Queen alive and surrounded by attentants.
Had the wrong glasses on to see if she had started to lay. This is a small nuc, will leave well alone now for two or three weeks.

Thought someone may be interested should this happen to them. I've certainly not experienced it before.

unclesteen

 

[Erichalfbee]

Hope springs.

haha should be the beekeepers' mantra

Glad all ok.......now...........leave them alone