queens

[Susan1]

How much would a virgin queen cost?

 

[fiftyjon]

Depends.

I have seen some advertised for £10 each.

From a friend free.

If they were extra special then they could be a lot more.

 

[Susan1]

Thanks for that. I have three but will be giving them to anyone in my association who wants them. Would you know how long I can keep them in cages. I have nowhere to keep them warm and think they may not survive.

 

[davnig]

Thanks for that. I have three but will be giving them to anyone in my association who wants them. Would you know how long I can keep them in cages. I have nowhere to keep them warm and think they may not survive.

they really should go into a hive the day they emerge

 

[Susan1]

Is there any way of keeping them otherwise, I have a friend who will take one on Sunday? If they were being posted they would be out of a hive, perhaps a big matchbox with some other bees?

 

[Polyanwood]

If you carefully pick up about 7 worker bees by the wings and pop them in with the virgins and put in some icing sugar paste, they should survive. You should try to use young workers - the furry ones. and you should give them a light spray with water each day.

If they are swarmy bees or bees made from emergency queen cells, it might not be worth your trouble.

 

[Susan1]

I was wondering if it was worth the trouble myself. I think they are from emergency queen cells but they are my first queens and I cant bare to get rid of them.
I have now made emergency apideas out of Chinese cartons. I have added wax and made air holes and added lots of young bees and put the queens in with them in cages with a fondant plug also added more fondant for the workers. I will give them a spray of water tomorrow. I left a tiny drop of water earlier for the queens so I hope that will be enough.
I have three of these one for each queen. I have placed them in a dark shed for three days and then will see how they get on.
It cant do any harm, they look quite big and healthy. At least if the queens do not survive I will have done all I can for them.

 

[For want of a better word]

they really should go into a hive the day they emerge

Yep !

 

[Arfermo]

they really should go into a hive the day they emerge

That may be the ideal but it's not practicable if they are to be available by post. That has to be at least an overnight job and there are several bee breeders who do just that. Cage for the shortest possible time is actually the best advice and don't be surprised if the postie delivers late.

 

[Susan1]

Well mine are in their made up apideas and are in the shed in the dark. I am going down to spray them this morning and will see how they are. They have fondant too so hopefully they will be ok. I do have one proper apidea which I put a queen into to so she will be the one I will keep. It will be interesting to see how they get on.

 

[Suzi Q]

Keep us posted please. I grafted earlier this year and have a mated queen in an apidea, she is very small! Probably grafted with a larvae that was a bit too old, but as she is my first I'm very attached to her!

 

[Susan1]

I will. I am really happy to actually even see my own queens for the first time in three years It will be an interesting learning experience, like everything else with beekeeping. I have read somewhere on the forum that the size of the queen doesn't matter so you never know Suzi Q yours could be an excellent queen.

 

[Susan1]

Well gave one queen to my beekeeping friend. The bees tried to kill her so we quickly rescued her and placed her in a cage with a fondant plug. another queen was placed in my apidea which is now at my friends site to mix up the genes, but she was just born so accepted. One has been placed in a nuc. Two are still in my home made apideas and have been placed with rest of my bees to hopefully mate.

 

[Susan1]

The latest news on my queen rearing experience is that I have one mated queen in my Apidea, one queen left in the home made Apidea - not sure if mated or not as no eggs or larvae, one vanished queen and no sign of the queen in my nuc but will give it another week..The queen in my friends Apidea we think was killed so I have given her the last one in the home made Apidea.
The question now is how long to keep mated laying queen in the Apidea?