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Author Topic: How Old Is My Queen  (Read 4751 times)

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Offline Jen

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How Old Is My Queen
« on: January 13, 2014, 02:40:42 pm »
In this pic you will see a small Patio Hive to the left. The first two years it had the same queen. Last spring, the third year, it swarmed three times, and the frames had 6 supercedure cells on them, some empty some not. After the three swarms I transplanted the remaining bees into the deeps sitting next to the Patio Hive.

Going into the fourth season now, I don't know if this is the original queen (prob not) or if it's a new queen from the events of last year swarming.



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Offline Perry

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Re: How Old Is My Queen
« Reply #1 on: January 13, 2014, 02:47:32 pm »
Highly unlikely it's your original queen.
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Offline Jen

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Re: How Old Is My Queen
« Reply #2 on: January 13, 2014, 03:41:08 pm »
K. That's what I was thinking after studying swarms. So then, my queen is about a year old.
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Offline LazyBkpr

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Re: How Old Is My Queen
« Reply #3 on: January 13, 2014, 03:58:20 pm »
Usually the first swarm takes the old queen, or, more accurately the old queen takes the bees and off they go. so its most likely your current queen ws one of the new ones.
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Offline Jen

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Re: How Old Is My Queen
« Reply #4 on: January 13, 2014, 04:20:23 pm »
Thank You kind gentlemen, I going to chart that down.
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Offline tecumseh

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Re: How Old Is My Queen
« Reply #5 on: January 13, 2014, 06:36:03 pm »
a snip....
Last spring, the third year, it swarmed three times

tecumseh...
somebody need to convince them girls to stop that kind of nonsense.  swarming is good subject to explore... standing right smack dab in the middle of one is in someways almost magical.
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Offline Jen

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Re: How Old Is My Queen
« Reply #6 on: January 13, 2014, 06:50:55 pm »
tecumseh...
""somebody needed to convince them girls to stop that kind of nonsense.  swarming is good subject to explore... standing right smack dab in the middle of one is in someways almost magical""

Those three swarms were out of a small Patio Hive I had at the time. When we took the lid off in spring it was stuffed with wax, and larvae between the lid and top bars. We exposed a lot of larvae getting the lid off. Anyway, that was why there was so much swarming. The first swarm was HUUUGE! I had never seen one before. Thousands of dosile bees in the air all around me. It was definately magical! I will never forget it.
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