Queen introduction cage

[holmbee]

I am proposing to buy a couple of press in queen introduction cages. Has anyone experience of using these?

 

[Michael Palmer]

I've been using push in cages for years with excellent results.

 

[Ian123]

Yes I like push in cages and been using them for a while. I think the queens do better running on the comb earlier and am pretty sure they come back into lay faster. So pick a section of emerging brood to cage over. I return a week after introduction and in many cases they’ve chewed the wax and she’s already out. Ian

 

[Erichalfbee]

They are brilliant I make my own out of woven varroa mesh. Emerging brood and food. By the time I let her out she’s laid up the empty cells.

 

[rolande]

They are brilliant I make my own out of woven varroa mesh. Emerging brood and food. By the time I let her out she’s laid up the empty cells.

Same here, just a simple box design but it does the job and making it passes a few minutes on a wet day.

 

[E&MBees]

Same here, just a simple box design but it does the job and making it passes a few minutes on a wet day.

How big are they please?

 

[Erichalfbee]

How big are they please?

Mine are 10cm square and 12cm square. Nothing fancy. No trap doors no fondant cavities. If you don’t fancy manipulating the queen into one simply dig out the fondant in your introduction cage and put the cage into the push in.

 

[rolande]

How big are they please?

Mine vary according to the size of the offcut I make from. Some are square, some rectangular, all work well.

 

[victor meldrew]

This is an introduction cage I’ve had for years !

 

[holmbee]

Thank you for your contributions. Will be using them on the three amm's arriving shortly.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Thank you for your contributions. Will be using them on the three amm's arriving shortly.

where are they coming from?

 

[rolande]

This is an introduction cage I’ve had for years !

I think I know where that came from! Replaced the green mesh on mine a few years ago.*

Edit: *and not used it since!
I don't know why because they worked well...

 

[madasafish]

Great on aggressive bees. DIY varroa mesh job.

 

[Brian Bush]

This is an introduction cage I’ve had for years !

I Use this type and have never had a failure.

 

[Hiveanidea]

Split after split has resulted in several new queens. l’m currently trying to assess the quality of egg laying and the temperament of their offspring - takes a few weeks for brood to hatch so not sure how long to wait in order to see any clear results. Not wanting to expand my apiary l will need to re-unite some and re-queen others. I like the idea of a caged introduction and have some left over mesh from making new floors. The photos are good enough to work out the construction, and l understand the need for siting it on emerging brood with stores.....but could you explain the whole process please. Is the frame of emerging brood best taken from her original hive/nuc or the cage pressed into a frame in the introduction hive?

 

[madasafish]

Split after split has resulted in several new queens. l’m currently trying to assess the quality of egg laying and the temperament of their offspring - takes a few weeks for brood to hatch so not sure how long to wait in order to see any clear results. Not wanting to expand my apiary l will need to re-unite some and re-queen others. I like the idea of a caged introduction and have some left over mesh from making new floors. The photos are good enough to work out the construction, and l understand the need for siting it on emerging brood with stores.....but could you explain the whole process please. Is the frame of emerging brood best taken from her original hive/nuc or the cage pressed into a frame in the introduction hive?

Emerging brood frame in hive into which Q is to be introduced.
Idea is - particularly if the hive is aggressive :- emerging bees bond with new queen and this helps introduction of her new pheromones to other bees. After a while, they (the original hive bees external to the cage) tend to burrow through wax under cage and release Q that way.

 

[rolande]

Split after split has resulted in several new queens. l’m currently trying to assess the quality of egg laying and the temperament of their offspring - takes a few weeks for brood to hatch so not sure how long to wait in order to see any clear results. Not wanting to expand my apiary l will need to re-unite some and re-queen others. I like the idea of a caged introduction and have some left over mesh from making new floors. The photos are good enough to work out the construction, and l understand the need for siting it on emerging brood with stores.....but could you explain the whole process please. Is the frame of emerging brood best taken from her original hive/nuc or the cage pressed into a frame in the introduction hive?

Doesn't matter where the brood comes from but if you're working in the same apiary it's probably easiest to take a frame of brood from the hive the queen's in, cage her on it as soon as you find her then place it in the hive she's being introduced to after making space.

 

[Hiveanidea]

Looking at your mesh cage rolande - it seems deeper than the space between combs so to make room, l’m assuming a frame has to be removed?

 

[rolande]

Looking at your mesh cage rolande - it seems deeper than the space between combs so to make room, l’m assuming a frame has to be removed?

No, the cage edge is pushed into the comb.

 

[Erichalfbee]

And push it into the comb up to the midrib