Author Topic: She was a dud  (Read 2709 times)

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Offline Bakersdozen

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She was a dud
« on: April 28, 2018, 09:25:02 pm »
This experience might help others.
I picked up two packages of Carnolians on 4/12.  I installed that day and noticed one queen was getting very little attention from the workers while the other queen was being lavished on by the workers in her package.  Four days later I released the popular queen and got the response I expected from her package of workers.   I released the not so popular queen.  The response was "ho-hum".  She slowly walked out of the cage, looked around, and then walked down between the frames by herself. 
I waited a week before opening the hive to give everybody time to get to know each other.  When I peaked in ho hum queen was laying.  I checked in again today to find larvae that was about 3 days old, capped brood, queen cups, and one emergency queen cell that was capped, and no queen. So she probably kicked the bucket on 4/22 or 4/24.
Well, bummer!
I called my supplier and he had more queens.  We were talking and I mentioned the questionable queen and what I found.  I was prepared to pay, but he replaced the dud at no charge.
Sometimes duds just happen. 
I scraped out the queen cell and put the new queen cage between frames.  Rear ends shot into the air, wings fluttering and happy bees. 

The following users thanked this post: Wandering Man

Offline neillsayers

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Re: She was a dud
« Reply #1 on: April 28, 2018, 09:28:42 pm »
And all is right in the Queendom! :)
Neill Sayers
Herbhome Bees
USDA Zone 7a

Offline Wandering Man

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Re: She was a dud
« Reply #2 on: April 28, 2018, 09:56:26 pm »
Thank you for your descriptive words, Bakers.

Those kinds of narratives help the rest of us become more aware of what we’re seeing when we work with our bees.
Never argue with drunks or crazy people

Offline apisbees

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Re: She was a dud
« Reply #3 on: April 28, 2018, 10:23:58 pm »
The supplier did a good thing making a bad situation better, on his response to the queen issue replacing her, I would call out the supplier on the forum and give him the recognition he deserves so others know that they can buy from him with confidence.
Honey Judge, Beekeeping Display Coordinator, Armstrong Fair and Rodeo.

Offline Bakersdozen

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Re: She was a dud
« Reply #4 on: April 29, 2018, 08:33:01 am »
The supplier did a good thing making a bad situation better, on his response to the queen issue replacing her, I would call out the supplier on the forum and give him the recognition he deserves so others know that they can buy from him with confidence.
He is a really good guy and has decades of beekeeping experience to his credit.  I would give him a shout out on the forum but he expresses dis-stain for postings on the internet and you tube.   He has stated often that anyone can put anything out there on the internet, good and bad.  He is correct.  This forum has the advantage of being supported by seasoned beekeepers that are willing to share their experiences.  So, out of respect for him, I won't share his name.
Our local bee club got feed back from some beginners that bought packaged bees from another supplier in another part of the state.  Unfortunately the weather was terrible when those packages arrived and there were numerous losses.  According to feed back, the buyers received bad advice on how to install packages under those conditions and when they complained, there was no attempt to correct the situation.

Offline apisbees

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Re: She was a dud
« Reply #5 on: April 29, 2018, 11:33:34 am »
He are absolutely right. 
Quote
He has stated often that anyone can put anything out there on the internet, good and bad.
That is why sites rely on buyers feedback. if they are offering misleading, or poor services and products buyers can give low scores and bad reviews as a warning to others. A good sellers good reviews should give others the confident to buy from that seller. End user reviews hold more value in my opinion than the sellers sales pitch.
Honey Judge, Beekeeping Display Coordinator, Armstrong Fair and Rodeo.

Offline Bakersdozen

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Re: She was a dud
« Reply #6 on: May 14, 2018, 06:08:19 am »


This queen was not a dud.  This package was from the same supplier, both Carnolians, and installed on the same day.  This is one month after installing the packages.
This is the second frame in.  She surprised me.  I hope I didn't wait too long to put a second brood box on.
The package that had the dud queen is struggling.  They have their new queen and she is trying to catch up, but they are so far behind.  I will add a frame of brood from another colony to bolster them.

Offline apisbees

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Re: She was a dud
« Reply #7 on: May 14, 2018, 07:33:00 am »
when starting with a package or nuc, if you try to super to far ahead of the bee population that is emerging, you are adding extra space that the bees need to heat and care for. This extra heat loss and stress looking after unneeded space can also put a hive back.
Honey Judge, Beekeeping Display Coordinator, Armstrong Fair and Rodeo.