Piping

[dro]

"Happy New Year! to all beekeeper friends,
The first post in this year:
How many times in her life the queen is piping?

 

[RoofTops]

I think they only do it when very young, either just after emergence or just before, while still in the cell.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Queen can pipe at any time in her life,even from within the cell just before emerging.

 

[dro]

A beekeeper guy said that the queen piping when the hive are ready t swarm.It is true?

 

[Hombre]

Piping is queen to queen communication channel, so it is certainly at a time when swarming is likely.

It seems counter productive to give the game away when the first to emerge is going to kill the other virgins before they are free of their cells. It does work both ways though.

 

[wilderness]

Last year I heard a queen piping in one of my colonies so opened it up to take a look. She was unmarked but I found her immediately by the noise she was making. I can never find the queen in my colonies.

She continued to walk over the comb piping away. I tried to record the sound on my laptop but failed miserably.

 

[drstitson]

doesn't just act as a giveaway but also battle cry - winner may not be the one who kills the weaker - often done by balling by workers so they pick on the poorer one.

 

[dro]

For now the last question: what is the difference between quacking and piping.

 

[Hivemaker.]

http://www.webworldarticles.com/e/a/title/What-is-piping-behavior-of-honey-bees/

http://www.lcbaor.org/piping.htm

 

[RoofTops]

Tooting, piping and quacking described here: http://www.lancashirebeekeepers.org.uk/documents/queen_piping.html

 

[PaleoPerson]

Heard on of my queens piping last year and when I handled the frame she was on, I could feel the vibrations of the piping on the frame.

 

[Tim1606]

We bought a queen through the post last year, and after taking the cage out of the packet i placed it on the kitchen table before setting off to take her to the hive.

My wife wondered what the noise was and when i went in the kitchen she was piping away like a good un.

So i am unsure why she was doing this although my wife says that being tossed about by royal mail probably upset her.

 

[dro]

Thanks a lot to all for your help.
George