Worldwide Beekeeping

Beekeeping => General Beekeeping => Topic started by: RAST on July 25, 2020, 04:33:27 pm

Title: Elusive queen
Post by: RAST on July 25, 2020, 04:33:27 pm

 I have been tryng to get rid of this antique crosscombed mess for a while now. The queen seems to love that frame on the left, it always has larva/brood in it, I called myself shaking the bees off and putting it all above an excluder a week ago to let the brood hatch. Apparently shes still in it from the tiny little c shaped larva I saw today and I couldn't find her anywhere up there, finally the heat drove me off. It's not that big or that many bees up there, 2 boxes below it.
(https://i.ibb.co/gjFXP8R/006.jpg) (https://ibb.co/gjFXP8R)

Title: Re: Elusive queen
Post by: Bakersdozen on July 26, 2020, 09:43:45 am

Is it possible you have 2 queens in that colony?  It wouldn't be the first time.

Title: Re: Elusive queen
Post by: Wandering Man on July 26, 2020, 10:03:23 am

3Reds and I were watching the complimentary training videos from the Gretchen Bee Ranch in Seguin, Texas last week.  They were doing a demonstration on inspecting your hives.  They pulled out one frame and found a queen cell that was being torn down.  Then they pulled out another frame and found two queens on the same frame, side by side.  The original marked queen, and a younger queen, likely the daughter.  They seemed to be living peacefully together.  Mark Gretchen was going to let the two stay in the hive for a while and anticipated having a rapidly growing and productive hive.

Title: Re: Elusive queen
Post by: RAST on July 26, 2020, 12:36:58 pm

Always a possibility. I will look in the lower boxes (when it cools off). The hotter it gets, the less important that old comb gets.

Title: Re: Elusive queen
Post by: Bakersdozen on July 27, 2020, 10:18:20 am

Quote from: RAST on July 26, 2020, 12:36:58 pm

Always a possibility. I will look in the lower boxes (when it cools off). The hotter it gets, the less important that old comb gets.

:laugh:

Title: Re: Elusive queen
Post by: rober on August 01, 2020, 03:18:45 pm

since you have a queen excluder under that box put a fume board on it. you might luck out & find the queen down on the excluder. if not pull the 2 frames & loose comb on the right, shake the bees off & remove the frames. pull the excluder & put the box back on & start slowly & carefully taking the layers of comb apart & shaking the bees onto the frames below. after all the bees are off the comb install some proper frames.

Title: Re: Elusive queen
Post by: RAST on August 02, 2020, 07:39:57 am

Thanks rober, I got her, Comb (whole super actually) will be gone when the brood hatches.