Author Topic: Queen Colors  (Read 16067 times)

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Offline iddee

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Queen Colors
« on: January 08, 2014, 09:04:12 pm »
 



Updated Feb. 9, 2015
“Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me... Anything can happen, child. Anything can be.”
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Offline riverbee

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Re: Queen Colors
« Reply #1 on: January 08, 2014, 09:43:55 pm »
very cool, thanks iddee!
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Offline Perry

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Re: Queen Colors
« Reply #2 on: January 09, 2014, 06:46:22 am »
Excellent!
"It is not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more, that is poor."      
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Offline LazyBkpr

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Re: Queen Colors
« Reply #3 on: January 09, 2014, 09:42:56 am »
Thanks Iddee!
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Offline Marty68

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Re: Queen Colors
« Reply #4 on: January 11, 2014, 09:42:32 pm »
this is helpful. when i open the hive i will have to look at what color she is

Offline Perry

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Re: Queen Colors
« Reply #5 on: January 12, 2014, 06:10:05 am »
If she''s marked!  ;D
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Offline efmesch

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Re: Queen Colors
« Reply #6 on: January 12, 2014, 06:38:40 am »
As an aid to remembering it (for this year only) tell yourself that this is the year of the GREEN QUEEN,
That should put Iddee's thread out of business for a year.  :laugh:

Thanks a lot Iddee. I have a lousy memory for poetry.  I'll keep referring to your pictures.

Offline Ziffa

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Re: Queen Colors
« Reply #7 on: March 19, 2014, 11:44:40 am »
I remember that Blue is a "stable" color and it is on the multiples of 5 years (easy division)

Then from there it is Buzz When Your Girl's Ready.  :) 

So last divisible by 5 year was 2010, so it was Buzz, then '11 = When, and '12 - Your, '13 = Girl and 14= Ready! RED! :D

I have a complicated mind.   :P

love,
ziffa
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Offline riverbee

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Re: Queen Colors
« Reply #8 on: March 19, 2014, 09:06:56 pm »
well i have to throw something into the mix here on the queen's color, some of our more industrious and hygienic honey bees tend to clean that colored spot off the thorax of the queen....... :D
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Offline brooksbeefarm

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Re: Queen Colors
« Reply #9 on: May 05, 2014, 10:58:32 am »
I haven't ordered marked queens in years, i had alot of queens superseded that had paint on them, my thinking was the workers thought there was something wrong with them because of the paint. Since i have been ordering unmarked queens i haven't had that much problems. Jack

Offline efmesch

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Re: Queen Colors
« Reply #10 on: May 05, 2014, 04:54:14 pm »
Jack, if a queen isn't marked how can you be certain that she hasn't been superceded?  ???
I too have experienced what riverbee reports---the workers removing a painted mark from the queen's thorax-- but a little bit has always been left behind, enough to know it's the same queen I started with. 
I confess that I haven't marked my queens in years (laziness on my part  :o) but I think that the biggest advantage in having marked queens is in the ease with which they can be spotted in the hive. ;)

Offline brooksbeefarm

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Re: Queen Colors
« Reply #11 on: May 05, 2014, 06:14:30 pm »
efmesch, I agree it makes the queen easy to spot when working the hives and if you know where she's at you can work your hives faster knowing you won't kill her in the process. When i work my hives i look where  most of the bees are and start from the outside pulling frames until i find brood, i then raise it up and look for swarm cells and if there is a good brood pattern, and no swarm cells, and if they need more room or not, i don't care how old the queen is or were she is  ???.Of course i look for mites and any sign of disease when i'm working them. I buy a few queens every year but raise most of mine for fall requeeniing or starting new hives none of which i mark,my way of thinking is if the queen is doing a good job she has a home, and if she isn't the workers usually do something before i do.Hmmmm maybe i'm a Lazy beekeeper to. :D Jack

Offline Jen

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Re: Queen Colors
« Reply #12 on: May 05, 2014, 07:03:27 pm »
I don't see any turquoise, aqua, or teal in iddee's post! WTH!?!? PHT!
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Offline Bamabww

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Re: Queen Colors
« Reply #13 on: May 05, 2014, 10:00:56 pm »
I can never find my queens and wish they were marked.
Wayne

Offline riverbee

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Re: Queen Colors
« Reply #14 on: May 06, 2014, 01:34:26 am »
marked queens are nice.....my queens are usually not marked anymore either. i confess, i am like jack......oh scary thought...... :D  jack and i agree on something?! ...... :D
i do pretty much what jack does when i work hives.....so what jack said, "i don't care how old the queen is or were she is "  as long as she's laying and the bees are happy and productive, hmm maybe i am a lazy beekeeper too?!..... :D

well actually, i have been on 'vacation' for awhile, so i am not really sure of what's been going on in what's left of my hives..... :D
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Offline efmesch

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Re: Queen Colors
« Reply #15 on: May 06, 2014, 01:54:57 am »
Well River, at least you can be sure that you haven't squashed any of your queens.  ;D

Offline LazyBkpr

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Re: Queen Colors
« Reply #16 on: May 06, 2014, 09:42:05 am »
LOL  Ef has the uncanny ability to find the silver lining in.. ANYTHING!  Well done Efmesch!!
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Offline Lburou

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Re: Queen Colors
« Reply #17 on: May 06, 2014, 11:31:11 am »
.....i do pretty much what jack does when i work hives.....so what jack said, "i don't care how old the queen is or were she is "  as long as she's laying and the bees are happy and productive, hmm maybe i am a lazy beekeeper too?!..... :D.........
That makes sense.  If you live in an area where africanized bees can ursurp a hive, you might feel it is important to know that a marked queen had the genes you want to perpetuate.  I'm coming round to that philosophy after three swarms did some ursurping in my yard last Fall.  :)
Lee_Burough

Offline riverbee

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Re: Queen Colors
« Reply #18 on: May 06, 2014, 11:38:47 am »
"Well River, at least you can be sure that you haven't squashed any of your queens.  ;D"

very true ef!....... :D

"LOL  Ef has the uncanny ability to find the silver lining in.. ANYTHING!  Well done Efmesch!!"
............................... :agree:  !!!

i keep wild things in a box..........™
if you obey the rules, you miss all the fun.....katherine hepburn
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