taking QCs into a nuc for re-queening

[Cuckmere couple]

i have been successful doing this a few times with a good shake or two of bees from frames with BIAS

but i wondered, if the Q is due to emerge, how does one ensure sufficient flyers to escort her if you've moved the nuc to a new apiary?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

i have been successful doing this a few times with a good shake or two of bees from frames with BIAS

but i wondered, if the Q is due to emerge, how does one ensure sufficient flyers to escort her if you've moved the nuc to a new apiary?

every bee can fly - and can from a few days old, there will be plenty of bees doing nothing else in the hive as all the brood will have emerged

 

[Cuckmere couple]

ta JBM

i had one nuc like this fail to produce mated Q and wondered if young bees in a new location was the problem!

 

[Ian123]

Queens don’t require flying bees to escort them.

 

[Swarm]

i had one nuc like this fail to produce mated Q and wondered if young bees in a new location was the problem!

More likely not enough of them, young bees are the only bees in my mating nucs.

 

[Ian123]

ta JBM

i had one nuc like this fail to produce mated Q and wondered if young bees in a new location was the problem!

Unfortunately you don’t get 100% success with any cells/nucs and it shouldn’t be expected. Some virgins die in the cell others emerge with deformities like wings/legs and they’re just the obvious ones. Others will get lost or eaten and then to top it off some will be poorly mated, it’s a numbers game!