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Offline Jen

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Alpha Queen
« on: May 17, 2019, 12:39:00 am »
Has anyone heard the term 'Alpha Queen' before? And what does that mean?

reup
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Offline Jen

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Re: Alpha Queen
« Reply #1 on: May 20, 2019, 12:58:40 pm »
Reup  :)
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Offline iddee

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Re: Alpha Queen
« Reply #2 on: May 20, 2019, 04:10:06 pm »
Never heard of it.
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Offline Jen

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Re: Alpha Queen
« Reply #3 on: May 20, 2019, 04:43:20 pm »
Hi Iddee, I haven't either! There is a beekeeper in our bee club that talks of queens becoming laying obsessed, that beekeepers can't keep up with. He calls them Alpha queens, and considers them a huge problem plugging out the hives with brood.

To me, it sounds like it's mismanagement of the hive. If you don't split the hive when needed, and just keep adding boxes, then yah that would be a problem.
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Offline iddee

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Re: Alpha Queen
« Reply #4 on: May 20, 2019, 10:10:31 pm »
There's about 6000 to 7000 cells on a deep frame. For a queen to fill even a double deep in 21 days, she would have to lay about 6000 eggs a day. I don't think any queen is going to lay anywhere near that many. In my opinion, your friend is hallucinating.
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“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 Riverrat

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Re: Alpha Queen
« Reply #5 on: May 21, 2019, 10:28:33 am »
interesting.  I would recommend having the keep register for the forum and post.  Sounds like a good topic of discussion
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Offline Jen

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Re: Alpha Queen
« Reply #6 on: May 21, 2019, 11:50:59 am »
Thank you for your help guys. He does this every spring when the queens are rearing up and laying quickly, and the hive soon swarms. He calls these alpha queens 'bat poop crazy'

I just wanted to make sure of this term before I call him out.
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Offline Bakersdozen

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Re: Alpha Queen
« Reply #7 on: May 21, 2019, 06:11:27 pm »
The term Alpha is used to refer to a dominant or the highest level in a group.  That is what the Queen is anyway.  So this terminology doesn't really mean anything to me.
I never heard anybody complain about a queen that was a good egg laying machine.  It's the beekeeper's job to manage the colony and take advantage of a queen like that.
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Offline tedh

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Re: Alpha Queen
« Reply #8 on: May 21, 2019, 08:08:34 pm »
Thanks for posting that Bakersdozen.  I had very similar thoughts.
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Offline Jen

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Re: Alpha Queen
« Reply #9 on: May 21, 2019, 10:52:41 pm »
Baker! That's what I thought as well! I was walking around the house saying to myself "All queens are alpha!" But then I thought before I go after him with my sword and fencing suit.. I'd better make sure of this!

You guys made my day  ;D

 
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