Mated queen

[Clemcook]

Hello,

I was wondering how late into the season people have had success introducing a mated queen?

Also any recommendations for supplies?

Many thanks

 

[Hedgerow Honey]

Ged Marshal, I have quite a few full colony's from him and can not fault them up to now, but we will see how well they winter up north.

 

[Poly Hive]

Denrosa Apiaries have some lovely bees. Give Murray a ring.

Are you positive your colony is Q- though before you spend out?

PH

 

[Clemcook]

Denrosa Apiaries have some lovely bees. Give Murray a ring.

Are you positive your colony is Q- though before you spend out?

PH

Thanks for the recommendation!
You know, I may not be experienced but I do a lot of research and I believe that a lot can be said for some good time to think and concider, in doing this I decided to sit and watch my two hives, left hive (Potential Q-) behaviour was complete opposite to right hive (Q+) I've watched a video on the behaviour of bees when they don't have a queen and it's spot on, walking about on the ledge,
Wings open, looking hopeless. Now right hive was busy going in and out, the bees were also turfing out drones, this tells me two things:

1. Hive one isn't stupid , they are keeping their drones as
They don't have a queen. Also I believe the polar opposite behaviour can't be ignored
2. I can't wait anymore

 

[Poly Hive]

The other day I did a search for a queen under difficult conditions.

I split the brood boxes and there was a clear difference in behaviour. Textbook in fact. Part A was definitely showing that they were Q-. Box B was all calm and relaxed and again classic behaviour "proving" she was there.

The Q was in A........... so looking is one thing: using a test frame and being utterly sure is quite another.

Trying to save you wasting both £££££'s and a good queen.

PH

 

[Clemcook]

To be fair the left hive is calmer than the right, I'm just worried about it getting too late and them not making it through the winter.

If I have the time I'll add another test frame and see if any QC are produced if they are not then I am going to pray!

Thanks

 

[Millet]

To be fair the left hive is calmer than the right, I'm just worried about it getting too late and them not making it through the winter.

If I have the time I'll add another test frame and see if any QC are produced if they are not then I am going to pray!

Thanks

I surely know your pain, believe me i have been there several times and still learning, i know what i would do but will probably be shot down in flames if i said anything, good Luck.

 

[Clemcook]

Nightmare! Esp for a newbie although don't feel so new now! I can't see queens as if I study things for a while it makes my eyes go out of focus so it's even more of a nightmare. If your advise is going to help please do share...

 

[Millet]

Nightmare! Esp for a newbie although don't feel so new now! I can't see queens as if I study things for a while it makes my eyes go out of focus so it's even more of a nightmare. If your advise is going to help please do share...

Shake the bees out into a empty brood box above a Queen excluder, but she may be slim and fit through the Queen exluder ???, .. another option take five frames out and shake the bees of into the hive.. leave the other six frames in there with a space inbetween each pair leave for 10 mins... the Queen does not like light and will go inbetwen the three pairs of frames, if you are fortunate enough not to have a laying worker colony try a mated Queen in a cage one the top bars and see how the bees react, if they ball the cage and you cant get them of you may have a Virgin Queen in there if they ball the cage and you can move them from the cage easily you might be Queen - , good luck and is a shame you are not closer as i have a clear eye for spotting the elusive Devil Queens.. lol .

Feel free the oracles of the forum to shoot me down in flames but his is the procedure in my head to find a Queen.

 

[Anduril]

Shake the bees out into a empty brood box above a Queen excluder, but she may be slim and fit through the Queen exluder ???, .. another option take five frames out and shake the bees of into the hive.. leave the other six frames in there with a space inbetween each pair leave for 10 mins... the Queen does not like light and will go inbetwen the three pairs of frames, if you are fortunate enough not to have a laying worker colony try a mated Queen in a cage one the top bars and see how the bees react, if they ball the cage and you cant get them of you may have a Virgin Queen in there if they ball the cage and you can move them from the cage easily you might be Queen - , good luck and is a shame you are not closer as i have a clear eye for spotting the elusive Devil Queens.. lol .

Feel free the oracles of the forum to shoot me down in flames but his is the procedure in my head to find a Queen.

Nothing wrong with that at all. I did that today, couldn't find the queen. Normally it works. Then set it up ready to smoke them through the queen excluder as in your description. Set up another area close by with supers from the hot hive resting on the roof of that hive, took a roof off another hive and placed it over the supers. The bees in the brood box were smoked through the excluder and the frames were placed horizontally on top of the roof with the supers. As the light is all around the frames the queen will stay inside one of the frames. I stacked them so that the side bars rested on each other and the top bars were at either end. Then went through the frames one at a time. As you pick one frame up, you look down at the comb of the frame under it for the queen. Found the queen on the third frame down. Killed the queen and the new one in a cage is awaiting release.

 

[Clemcook]

Thank you all for your advice definitely some ideas to try I did actually think of something today which might help and some feedback would be great.

I can remember when I had to do my split I put my queen into a Nuc Box along with some bee, I left the door open for them to come in and out and they remained within the nuc box I did a move today and decided to make life easier I would put some of the frames inside the Nuc Box last night. This morning when I came to do the move all of the Bees had left and had obviously gone back into the main hive. So I thought when I got to the location I would put some new frames inside the nuc box and see if the bees leave and one would assume if the bees stay in the box then the Queen is in there as that's what happened before??!

I feel I have a plan!