Queen Marking Fatality

[Joseph]

I have marked tens of queens successfully and I clip my queens too. Today however I came across this beauty of a queen, she was huge and staggeringly beautiful. I marked her and all seemed well. I left the (Posca)paint to dry for a few mins, but she seemed dead when I placed her on a frame. I think it was a little cold out and I may have left her exposed for 5 mins or so.

The upside is that this colony was really of a vile temperament, and perhaps her replacement might raise better progeny.

 

[sean_0]

Though I haven't seen it myself, I have heard anecdotes from several beekeepers of queens "playing dead" after being handled. In all of those cases she was up and laying on the next inspection. Don't assume she's dead just yet

 

[Norton]

Hello,
Yes she might have been in some sort of shock and there is a very good chance that you will find her alive and well at the next inspection.
Best regards
Norton.

 

[Heather]

Not like my queen marking- holding her gently, pen poised- a worker flew down landed on her - stung her - DEAD in seconds!

 

[Midland Beek]

beauty of a queen, she was huge and staggeringly beautiful.

But those are just the queens that bring bad temper or chalk brood.

 

[Heather]

Yep, best queen I ever saw was a drone layer- hurt to secateur her. But not as much as it hurt her.

 

[Norton]

Yep, best queen I ever saw was a drone layer-

Hello,
I presume that you meant that the above queen was the largest you had ever seen and not actually the best!
Best regards
Norton.

 

[Heather]

Yes, OK Norton! - the most empty headed glamour puss - and cr.p seminal pouch.

 

[victor meldrew]

Yes, OK Norton! - the most empty headed glamour puss - and cr.p seminal pouch.

Don't you mean spermathica ?.
Us old drones are ganging up on you .

John Wilkinson

 

[andypigeon]

i had one last year, im no good at finding queens but this one was 3 times the size of workers, shes doing fine this year on 8 frames of brood and about 5 super frames

 

[Norton]

Hi Heather,
The largest queens I have seen are the ones that never lay a single egg. These are queens that normally should be in lay after mating but obviously have some sort of blockage and are literally bursting at the seams. I have dissected some of them and the spermatheca looks full and healthy. I've thought that they have the blockage from semen that has dried (died) in the system or that they have been plugged by mucus.
Best regards
Norton.

 

[Bcrazy]

Not wishing to Black cat anyone I have a queen who is now in her fourth year and she has filled two brood Langstroth boxes to date. She is a normal size queen from which I am going to breed from.



Regards;

 

[BKF Admin]

Is she one you bred yourself Bcrazy?

 

[Bcrazy]

Yes she is one I breed four years ago, from which goes back years to an old beekeeper who never did any queen rearing, he left it to the bees.

 

[Adam]

Though I haven't seen it myself, I have heard anecdotes from several beekeepers of queens "playing dead" after being handled. In all of those cases she was up and laying on the next inspection. Don't assume she's dead just yet

My inspector had this happen to him. Unfortunately he thought she was dead so chucked her in a bush. He had no idea that are simply playing dead and wake up shortly after.

Adam

 

[Joseph]

I am amazed at how absolutely dead she looked, and yet she wasn't. She is alive and well.