queen introduction

[drstitson]

just a quick (and probably stupid, simple) question but what is the best way to safely get HM and necessary (appropriate) attendants into an introduction/mailing cage (the rectangular yellow type with sliding door?

 

[Hivemaker.]

Pick them up and put them in........or you could use a pluffer for blowing in the attendants.

 

[Hebeegeebee]

The fun is getting the last bee in when there are several trying to get out....

 

[Teemore]

To date I have little experience of lifting queens off comb so to avoid problems i improvised and did the following.
First get the queen and some bees into a clear plastic bag. For some reason the bees like to cling to the 'roof' of the bag. Put the feed and water into the Queen cage before hand, slide the lid on part way and then, holding the bag with one hand and the cage in the other, stick your hand and cage into the bag - you can then lift the cage up from below the Queen/attendants and with your free hand close the plastic bag gently down onto the open cage. With the shade from your hand the Queen tends to move into the back of the cage and it can be closed up by pressing the slide with your thumb. Time this right and you'll be able to cage a few of her attendants also. NB - I have only done this with bees out of an Apidea so it was easy to stick the whole frame into the bag.

 

[drstitson]

"The fun is getting the last bee in when there are several trying to get out."

precisely why i asked!

i suppose one could scoop up some wet bees from a boxful then just add HM and shut.

 

[Midland Beek]

Pluffer.

 

[drstitson]

"Pluffer."

i'll ignore that. what have i ever done to you?

 

[fredbloggs]

I find the easiest (more success /least stressful) method is to itilise the device previously referred to (wonderfully) in another thread as "the crack pipe". I treat the operation in two halves. I pick up the q first and isolate her in the pipe. She is safe and will not be damaged through hamfistedness. The workers you can be more inventive with even allow them to make their own way in. ( and they will out of nosiness) when you have enough workers in shut the lid awaiting queen introduction.

You can now introduce the q by simultaneously positioning the big opening on the pipe over the cage entrance whilst removing the bung and opening the slider !! Some dextrous use of thumbs and fingers is necessary. Its all in the timing. Concentrate on the queen nor what the workers are doing. The main problem occurs with the serfs blocking HM path (two way traffic through a turnstile ?). Usually she pushes past them like she does on the comb
. You can use the thin end of the pipe to gently blow but i find that unsettles them . Patience is the virtue and allow them time. ( bit like the final few seconds of sheep penning) When you are satisfied her body parts are safe you can slide the trap shut.

I agree with the remark about the inclination to "hang" rather than stand ( never exploited the "darkness" element - must remember that) I use the same pipe and a plunger cage for marking. Invariably, the q will prefer to hang and you can use this to your advantage when positioning her in the plunger cage.

Regards

FB

 

[susbees]

"Pluffer."

i'll ignore that. what have i ever done to you?

This is heading for TMI. Assume a cross between a puffer and a fluffer?

 

[fredbloggs]

I might just do that - if i knew what a fluffer and TMI were?

 

[drstitson]

i presume TMI means too much information.

 

[Hivemaker.]

FB....you have the correct use of that device completely ass backwards.

 

[drstitson]

"First get the queen and some bees into a clear plastic bag"

what i ended up doing tonight was as above using a clear ziplock bag. the open charged cage was hung in the bag using a pice of thread trapped in the closure.
once queen was in cage it was possible to push the bag against the opening if she headed down towards opening and when clear workers were encouraged towards the opening. eventually there were HM and enough girls inside - cage slide closed and any remaining free bees released from bag.

 

[Hivemaker.]

"First get the queen and some bees into a clear plastic bag"

what i ended up doing tonight was as above using a clear ziplock bag. the open charged cage was hung in the bag using a pice of thread trapped in the closure.
once queen was in cage it was possible to push the bag against the opening if she headed down towards opening and when clear workers were encouraged towards the opening. eventually there were HM and enough girls inside - cage slide closed and any remaining free bees released from bag.

LOL.....what a performance.