Worldwide Beekeeping
Beekeeping => Raising Queens => Topic started by: Yankee11 on April 09, 2015, 01:45:21 pm
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A queen hatches out and, before mating, she appears to be short and stubby. Can you say she will inferior because of this?
Seems like I have seen some small queens that lay a great pattern.
Just asking as I raise queens, should I dispatch these type queens just from their looks/size?
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No, never bop them off until after you have given them a chance to prove themselves. Most queens after emerging are smaller and slimmer, they have to be able to fly well. Once they do their flights and settle in, most plump right out.
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When a queen emerges she has used up every bit of food and water in that cell.
They will plump up and build there strength as the bees feed her.
She'll wander around in a hive a couple of days just building up her strength.
I use a cabinet style incubator I built just for queens.
I put cages on the a day or so before they are due to emerge.
When I see they have emerged I put a drop of royal jelly dilluted 1/2 with distilled water.
On the other side I place a drop of water in a groove in the cap.
While she down feeding I remove the cage and tear the queen cell off the plastic cell cup.
I tear a miniature marsh mellow in half a push it into the plastic cell cup.
I replace the cage with the queen.
She will feed herself for up to 2 weeks without tender bees.
I keep the temperature a constant 92 degrees F and the humidity stays constant at 72%
If the humidity isn't there the queen will die.
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Good information there capt44. :goodjob:
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Well, I had 2 queens hatch out and looked to be short/stubby. That's the reason for my question. Sort enough that I didn't think her back end could reach the bottom of the cell.
I checked today and found lots and lots of eggs on the cells. Saw the queens and I didn't even think they were the same queens. Nice looking trunks now.