Author Topic: Have Been Offered A Lone Queen (Read 14302 times)

CBT · « **Reply #20 on:** August 27, 2017, 09:03:50 pm »

He said he puts the caged queen in the new nuke.

rober · « **Reply #21 on:** August 27, 2017, 09:19:52 pm »

like apis said, a caged queen installed in a queen-less nuc will be fine after an hour or 2. give them 1 frame of brood & a frame with some honey & pollen & feed them.

Jen · « **Reply #22 on:** August 27, 2017, 10:26:11 pm »

Update ~ I think I messed things up big time

Last night I put some candy in a queen cage, then put the queen in. Everything was peachy. Then today I placed the queen cage on top of the top bars and the bees were peaceful with her. I should have just followed my instinct and wedged the cage between the frames and called it good for a couple days.

Instead I put a small drop of honey on the screen right by the candy to hold her over till tomorrow. Later, I come back and the floor of the cage was all sticky and the queen is a Huge sticky mess and moving very slow. DANG! The bees aren't going to except her like this...

Is it possible that the bees might clean her up?

Jen · « **Reply #23 on:** August 27, 2017, 10:32:08 pm »

apisbees · « **Reply #24 on:** August 28, 2017, 01:21:51 am »

Leave her in the cage, but put the cage in the hive for 3 or 4 day or until they eat thru the candy. Not all the bees that come to the screen want to hurt her some of the nurse bees will feed her. What I said is I do not leave the nuc gueenless for 24 hr before putting the queen in a new hive.

Jen · « **Reply #25 on:** August 28, 2017, 02:28:43 am »

Hi Apis, glad and a little relieved to hear from you. I have had a heck of a time with queens this year. I had high hopes that my plan would help this lonely queen come to life again, she is this years queen. Was going so well and then she got all sticky and it concerned me deeply.

It got dark so I was going to keep her in my warm kitchen all night and then wedge the cage in the mini nuc in the morning. But I changed my mind and grabbed a flashlight and set her cage on top of the top bars for the night so she would with the bees and the nice scent of the colony. I'll wedge her cage between the frames first thing in the morning.

The mini nuc has a very nice frame of brood/pollen/honey. Another frame of stores, and a full frame of drawn wax for her to get going right away if she wants, and if she makes it. I sure hope so.

Thanks for checking in so late, I appreciate that

apisbees · « **Reply #26 on:** August 28, 2017, 07:36:03 am »

Been busy getting the volunteers for the fair. Have to set up tonight and tomorrow Then judge the honey competition starting at 1:00pm on Tuesday. Then will have to out at the fair on and off till Sunday night and Monday in the morning to tare it down.
Just spent the last few days helping my daughter move and cleaning out all the good junk in the shed and house. She is the director of the honey division at the fair as well so having to be out of the property by the 31st of August has been a challenge.
And working on the AGM, that is coming up on the end of October. Have to judge a full honey competition at it also, Plus mead. And on the 2nd of Sept. I was asked to speak at one of the local bee Clubs.

Lburou · « **Reply #27 on:** August 28, 2017, 10:06:35 am »

Jen, getting the honey all over the queen isn't that uncommon. Sometimes you get away with it just fine, usually after situating the cage so the honey doesn't drip on the occupants of the cage, but runs down the screen instead. The bees will clean her as long as she lives until they get through the candy.

You might make one of those 'push in' cages for your next try, sorry I didn't respond in time to help this time...You see by the pics that I followed instructions inside my shop where she couldn't fly very far if she got away. The first bees to hatch adopt her immediately as their queen. Only time I've had trouble with this method was when SHB eggs hatched under the screen without bees to patrol it.

Quote from: The BeeWeaver website

A push-in cage allows the queen to start laying eggs immediately and will increase the chances of acceptance. This method requires handling the queen, which must be done with great care.

Make sure the hive has no queen or queen cells present.

To make a push in cage, cut a ﬂat 6x6 inch screen wire. Cut slits 3/4” in from the top right and left, as well as the bottom right and left. Fold at the cuts to make a 3-dimensional box.

Select a comb with emerging brood. Brush the bees oﬀ the comb and place the push-in cage over an area of empty cells, a few emerging brood cells and open nectar. Remove the queen from the candy cage and put her under the wire cage.

Do not allow any other adult bees under the cage. Push the cage into the comb, leaving enough room for the queen to move freely underneath. Be sure bees can't get under the cage.The frame with the queen and cage should be placed in the middle of the brood nest (if no brood is present, place in the middle of the cluster).

Remove the push-in cage after four days or after the bees are no longer clinging to the cage. If the bees are clinging to the cage, instead of calmly walking on it, then they have not accepted her yet, and more time is needed before the cage is removed.

The colony should be disturbed as little as possible for the next 2 weeks, while the queen establishes her brood nest

Jen · « **Reply #28 on:** August 28, 2017, 03:14:03 pm »

Ooooooh! I forgot about these!

Questions:

So I'm thinking that I would have to take out a couple frames from a hive or nuc... to insert this and be able to see if the bees aggressive with her or caring for her?

Jen · « **Reply #29 on:** August 28, 2017, 04:35:41 pm »

Lookie! Ms.Sticky made it thru the night. She's even cleaned up and the bees are busy feeding her, all is peaceful...

Lee, I just learned this from you, that bees will bathe her until she's released... Remarkable!

Aww Shucks.. That makes me so happy

Jen · « **Reply #30 on:** August 28, 2017, 11:37:08 pm »

Update ~ All this fuss over this little bug... but I must

This morning I found Ms.Sticky all cleaned up and the bees feeding her thru the screened cage. Happy Day!

This evening I find that 2/3 of the bees that came on the brood frame have returned to their original hive. I find it weird that they left the brood.

I take a peek at the queen in the cage and she is stuck upside down on the candy by her thorax. I very carefully lifted the screen and set her free unharmed.

neillsayers · « **Reply #31 on:** August 29, 2017, 01:55:52 am »

Rooting for this little bug!

Jen · « **Reply #32 on:** August 29, 2017, 12:51:21 pm »

Awwe Neil, you have the heart of a lion

The deed is done! I lifted the lid this morning and many bees were gathered on the queen cage but no aggression present, I gently moved the bees aside and queen was again cleaned of the candy stuck to her thorax. This just blows me away!.. how these nurse bees were able to bathe her thru the screened cage, just like Lee said.

I decided to release her because the bees were not eating the candy.

The brood in the mini nuc is hatching out, little antenna's are wiggling thru the cell caps. So Lee also taught that these baby bees will recognize this queen as their queen.

Now I have to get more bees in this nuc.

Best Wishes little lady, live long, prosper, and be lonely no more ~

Jen · « **Reply #33 on:** September 01, 2017, 08:43:15 pm »

Update on lonely queen

I released her 2 full days ago. Been peeking in the nuc to see if she is still alive. Yep! still alive, but she won't move from the floor of the nuc up into the frames. The nurse bees are still feeding her.

So today I got her to walk up onto my finger and I placed her right on the brood frame that is hatching out. I hope she stays on the frame. If she doesn't.... well I just don't know...

apisbees · « **Reply #34 on:** September 02, 2017, 08:18:28 am »

Do you have enough bees in the nuc to look after the queen.

Jen · « **Reply #35 on:** September 02, 2017, 12:54:39 pm »

Hi Apis, glad you checked in. Using my own wits with this project.

Not yet! I was waiting a couple days to see if they would kill her or take care of her. They are taking care of her. There is always 6-12 nurse bees with her. And she's back on the floor today.

If I shake more bees in with this nuc, will I have to take the nuc more than 2 miles away for a couple days?

apisbees · « **Reply #36 on:** September 03, 2017, 12:08:38 pm »

If there are so few bees that you are shaking more bees in than what is in the nuc you may have to protect her with a push in cage to protect her until the added bees except her. or shake only a few bees at a time.

Jen · « **Reply #37 on:** September 03, 2017, 01:28:08 pm »

Okay, that sounds like a good plan.

She is still on the floor today. I like the push in cage idea.

If I add more bees gradually, won't they simply fly out and go back to their original hives? How do I anchor them?

Can I block the entrance with some screen for say 24-48 hours?

apisbees · « **Reply #38 on:** September 04, 2017, 07:24:29 pm »

Shake young bees off frames of open brood nurse bees are pre orientation flight.

Jen · « **Reply #39 on:** September 04, 2017, 09:29:43 pm »

Fascinating! Why didn't I think of that ...

Update ~ So Apis, the queen has been MIA since yesterday morning. I waited until this evening to keep checking for her. Yesterday the bees, without the queen, were very busy and excitable, not aggressive or even insistant, even went in the nuc with no veil. Today, they are their normal busy selves but still no queen.

This queen was not very plump, but I've had slender queens do just fine. Is it possible, that this queen was not fully mated when she came to my house 11 days ago? Could she be on a second mating flight?