Requeening. First stage done

[REDWOOD]

How do you know she has mated?

 

[Tremyfro]

My bees are taking the p1ss. Looked out of bedroom window and noticed that the massive tree opposite is lime! It's mahoosive. And full of bees. As are several other trees not 100 yards from the hives. So... Where is my honey!

Oh God Lime honey....can I be the first to taste it?.....bet you get buckets! I hope you have supers at the ready!
You could always get a cup full of bees from your hive...or use a butterfly net at the hive entrance.......take them to the limes....release them and then they can go back to tell the rest of the foragers!

 

[Stoney147]

I bought them as mated queens

 

[oliver90owner]

A dud? Not the first reported this season. Contact the seller for a replacement.

 

[Stoney147]

Wow that's not what I expected, I bought 2, 1 into a nuc and nothing,1 into a Nat brood which took 3 weeks, so your saying she was not mated and has mated with the drones around??? Thats not good as I'm trying to improve temperament as on an allotment and they're a bit tetchy to say the least....

 

[Obee1]

Oh God Lime honey....can I be the first to taste it?.....bet you get buckets! I hope you have supers at the ready!
You could always get a cup full of bees from your hive...or use a butterfly net at the hive entrance.......take them to the limes....release them and then they can go back to tell the rest of the foragers!

I have supers at the ready. All stacked in my spare room which resembles the storeroom at thornes I shouldn't wonder. I have all 3 hives on double brood now and meangreenqueen has a super too. as the hives are all in the garden I can keep a close eye on them through their clear crownboards.

 

[nantmoel]

Where did you purchase your Buckfast Queen and where in S. Wales are you?

 

[Honeybeeco]

I have had a fantastic success with the Mann Lake introduction cages by JZBZ and i also buy the separate cap and hanger ( I've never understood why they are not sold together mind you )

They are small and fit between frames easy, have a secure area for the queen to get away from nipping workers, but most importantly rather than just snapping off a tab a few days later for the workers to release the queen via the sugar plug which can mean she's can be overwhelmed by an influx of many vicious workers, the JZBZ is smaller but does have a little bar of plastic that can be removed which opens up a queen excluder slot in the domed end of it, which allows just 1 or 2 bees in to her cage at a time which makes it less likely she is killed or overwhelmed. So i introduce another procedure in my 'adding a queen process' which is where after 24 to 48 hrs of having her fully confined, I open the queen excluder end and leave her in there for a further 1 to 2 days by which time her smell has permeated around the Nuc by the bees coming in and out to her, I then remove the cap over the sugar and leave them go or open the cage and let her walk right in the nuc.

I do find even nasty bees put in a queen less nuc for 24 hrs and a queen in a any cage added to it has a much higher success rate than putting her in a large stocked hive. I think adding a queen is always a risk, but judging how the hive is behaving and what part of the year with experience can help the process of full size hive introduction but that said, via a Nuc is better in my opinion.

 

[BeeJayBee]

Plenty of white clover in my lawn!

It is but it will be cutted quickly on home lawn.

Not this lawn!

 

[Stoney147]

A dud? Not the first reported this season. Contact the seller for a replacement.

I contacted seller today they were insistent that my colonies must not have been Q- and to return marked Q if not happy...
I will say that he was too busy doing something else and wasn't bothered in talking to me. Going to have a look if it's the supplied queen today. Anyone posted a queen before????

 

[Cussword]

I contacted seller today they were insistent that my colonies must not have been Q- and to return marked Q if not happy...
I will say that he was too busy doing something else and wasn't bothered in talking to me. Going to have a look if it's the supplied queen today. Anyone posted a queen before????

I think Hivemaker may have

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I contacted seller today they were insistent that my colonies must not have been Q-

That's a totally cockamaimie answer - and they're the experts!! if the recipient colonies weren't Q-
a) good chance there'd be brood there of some description
b) the queens you tried to introduce would have been killed in their cages

 

[Stoney147]

Looks like what has happened, found the unmarked queen and loads of pissed off bees but that's nowt new. So was a virgin queen present at time of introduction.

 

[Obee1]

I have had a fantastic success with the Mann Lake introduction cages by JZBZ and i also buy the separate cap and hanger ( I've never understood why they are not sold together mind you )

They are small and fit between frames easy, have a secure area for the queen to get away from nipping workers, but most importantly rather than just snapping off a tab a few days later for the workers to release the queen via the sugar plug which can mean she's can be overwhelmed by an influx of many vicious workers, the JZBZ is smaller but does have a little bar of plastic that can be removed which opens up a queen excluder slot in the domed end of it, which allows just 1 or 2 bees in to her cage at a time which makes it less likely she is killed or overwhelmed. So i introduce another procedure in my 'adding a queen process' which is where after 24 to 48 hrs of having her fully confined, I open the queen excluder end and leave her in there for a further 1 to 2 days by which time her smell has permeated around the Nuc by the bees coming in and out to her, I then remove the cap over the sugar and leave them go or open the cage and let her walk right in the nuc.

I do find even nasty bees put in a queen less nuc for 24 hrs and a queen in a any cage added to it has a much higher success rate than putting her in a large stocked hive. I think adding a queen is always a risk, but judging how the hive is behaving and what part of the year with experience can help the process of full size hive introduction but that said, via a Nuc is better in my opinion.

Thanks hbc

Think I will order some jzbz cages they look good. However., as always I have questions!
So how long do you leave the made up nuc queenless before adding the the new queen in the cage?
Do you leave attendants in with her?
Also once the candy plug is exposed how long till you open the nuc to have a looksee?
When do you join the nuc back to the colony?
how long is the main colony queenless before you join?

Interested to hear the details of your method ... And anyone else who cares to comment. Seems everyone does it differently.

 

[Tremyfro]

Thanks hbc

Think I will order some jzbz cages they look good. However., as always I have questions!
So how long do you leave the made up nuc queenless before adding the the new queen in the cage?
Do you leave attendants in with her?
Also once the candy plug is exposed how long till you open the nuc to have a looksee?
When do you join the nuc back to the colony?
how long is the main colony queenless before you join?

Interested to hear the details of your method ... And anyone else who cares to comment. Seems everyone does it differently.

Here is what I am going to do....unless there is an outcry of condemnation!
When my queens arrive....I will make up 2 nucs....next day....I will put queens in with tab still on after dribbling a few drops of water. Next day...remove tab. When I see she is laying....I will recombine the Nuc with mother hive. First...locating and removing the resident queen......leave for a few hours then do a newspaper combine....and may also spray with air freshener for good measure.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Here is what I am going to do....unless there is an outcry of condemnation!
When my queens arrive....I will make up 2 nucs....next day....I will put queens in with tab still on after dribbling a few drops of water. Next day...remove tab. When I see she is laying....I will recombine the Nuc with mother hive. First...locating and removing the resident queen......leave for a few hours then do a newspaper combine....and may also spray with air freshener for good measure.

a) I wouldn't bother waiting a day after making up the nucs - get the queen in there after an hour, even less if you want - just make sure the tab is intact.
b) I wouldn't bother with making up nucs - just find the old queen, squish, wait an hour if you have the time, then put the new one in (in cage of course - with attendants and candy protected for 24 hours or so)

 

[oliver90owner]

Stoney 147,

I clearly gave you too much credence as a beekeeper. If you are still trying to introduce queens to queenright colonies now that you are into your fourth season, I suggest you invest in a good beekeeping book and get studying. Much less expensive than throwing money down the drain by putting queens into a queenright colony (or one with strong laying workers). Very basic beecraft.

 

[Tremyfro]

a) I wouldn't bother waiting a day after making up the nucs - get the queen in there after an hour, even less if you want - just make sure the tab is intact.
b) I wouldn't bother with making up nucs - just find the old queen, squish, wait an hour if you have the time, then put the new one in (in cage of course - with attendants and candy protected for 24 hours or so)

My colonies are not nasty.....just a bit buzzy...although they are a lot better since it has been more sunny. I am changing to mainly Carniolans. I like working with them. They give us enough honey for the family too. The children often want to watch and help...so I want to have all calm bees that stay on the comb. One hive is a Buckfast...not quite as calm as the Carniolans...but very beautiful to watch. I don't really want to squish the queens I take out...there is nothing wrong with them and they lay the frames really well. I am hoping to find a good home for them.

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

Stoney 147,



I clearly gave you too much credence as a beekeeper. If you are still trying to introduce queens to queenright colonies now that you are into your fourth season, I suggest you invest in a good beekeeping book and get studying. Much less expensive than throwing money down the drain by putting queens into a queenright colony (or one with strong laying workers). Very basic beecraft.

Hivemaker told me he reckons he is sending more than half the queens he posts to certain death. Must be very discouraging.

 

[Obee1]

Hivemaker told me he reckons he is sending more than half the queens he posts to certain death. Must be very discouraging.

Then maybe hivemaker should send them with instructions. I asked him how he suggested I introduce my queen and had no reply.

I peeked in my nuc today. The candy is eaten and queen is released. Didn't look for her though just quickly shut hive and left.