Queen mating / siting of Apidea

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dryar

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I am developing a Queen rearing regime.

I'm wondering when laying queens are resident in their mating hives what restrictions would there be on local movement.

I have in mind using my mated queens to replace those who have done me well during previous seasons.

My mating hives are situated 10 metres or so form my main apiary.

If I take unclipped queens and move them to a new hive can I anticipate a desire for them to reorientate to their original home . As with worker bees.

Cheers.
 
If I take unclipped queens and move them to a new hive can I anticipate a desire for them to reorientate to their original home . As with worker bees.

Cheers.

virgin queens orientate their hive quite early.

You cannot move hive or queen before mating.

After mating if the queen escape from your hand it will return to its original hive. It remember the home at least one month after laying start.

When queen lays it will not come out any more.

.
 
If I take unclipped queens and move them to a new hive can I anticipate a desire for them to reorientate to their original home . As with worker bees.

Cheers.

the queens shouldnt be leaving the hive again if they are laying so no problems
 
If the mated queen IS LAYING EGGS she will stay with the colony / hive she has been placed in

If you remove a queen from the "APIDEA" either not mated or mated and not laying eggs she will return to her "APIDEA"........ although why on earth you would want to move a non laying queen bears me!

From personal experience I have had a queen fly off from an "APIDEA" and return to same....

Therefore to answer your question..... an egg laying queen will not fly off if placed in another colony... providing the colony she is placed in is q-

Good question... you may now receive a plethera of dissimilar answers, as beekeeperers just love to argue.. even inside their heads ( one for FINMAN !)
 
I have in mind using my mated queens to replace those who have done me well during previous seasons.

My mating hives are situated 10 metres or so form my main apiary.

If I take unclipped queens and move them to a new hive can I anticipate a desire for them to reorientate to their original home . As with worker bees.

Cheers.

You should know that a laying queen will stay in the hive so won't need to re-orientate.
 
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