Here's the scoop, I inspected an Italian colony 2 days ago and found 2 capped queen cells on the same side of the frame. Not wanting to lose an opportunity, I carefully cut one out and placed it in a homemade large queen cage with 5 nurse bees. figured to pull a frame or 2 from another strong colony and have a fall split. Not planned but no sense in passing up the chance.
Well, she hatched last night - sooner than I thought. Been trickling some 1:1 with HBH for them to eat today. Tonight I pulled 2 frame of bees and brood from a really strong russian hive. I searched high and low but didn't saee the queen. Trouble is, she might be on one of those 2 frames and I just am missing her. Russians are dark, I find it real hard to spot a russian queen anyway. I put the 2 frames in a nuc, and closed them up and put a boardman feeder on them. I figured let them forage until the weekend (2 days), then check the nuc midday for fresh eggs and or look for the queen before introducing this new queen. Checking mid-day means fewer bees in the hive, might be easier to spot her if she is there, or easier to see in the cells.
So - the original question - how long can I keep this unmated queen and 5 attendants in the cage without harm? If I can put the cage in the nuc some time this weekend, then they will have been in the cage less than a week. I'm thinking thats ok. Tell me if I am wrong.
I've never had queens emerge into a cage myself, but I'm thinking less than a week should be OK. I'm thinking a week or longer would not bee so good.
Quote from: timjea on July 30, 2009, 12:44:27 AM
Here's the scoop, I inspected an Italian colony 2 days ago and found 2 capped queen cells on the same side of the frame. Not wanting to lose an opportunity, I carefully cut one out and placed it in a homemade large queen cage with 5 nurse bees. figured to pull a frame or 2 from another strong colony and have a fall split. Not planned but no sense in passing up the chance.
Well, she hatched last night - sooner than I thought. Been trickling some 1:1 with HBH for them to eat today. Tonight I pulled 2 frame of bees and brood from a really strong russian hive. I searched high and low but didn't saee the queen. Trouble is, she might be on one of those 2 frames and I just am missing her. Russians are dark, I find it real hard to spot a russian queen anyway. I put the 2 frames in a nuc, and closed them up and put a boardman feeder on them. I figured let them forage until the weekend (2 days), then check the nuc midday for fresh eggs and or look for the queen before introducing this new queen. Checking mid-day means fewer bees in the hive, might be easier to spot her if she is there, or easier to see in the cells.
So - the original question - how long can I keep this unmated queen and 5 attendants in the cage without harm? If I can put the cage in the nuc some time this weekend, then they will have been in the cage less than a week. I'm thinking thats ok. Tell me if I am wrong.
I wouldn't keep them in a cage over two days.Be sure to spray them with sugar water 4 or 5 times a day.
Less than a week should be fine. I've shipped virgins priority mail (even have had some get stuck in the mail over the weekend) and had them introduced and mated successfully.
If they don't get mated somewhere before 24 days they could end up drone layers.
By now both my queens spent a little over than three days in confinement. So far so good. Going to re-queen two of my hives tomorrow.
(http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/4768/64138178.th.jpg) (http://img141.imageshack.us/i/64138178.jpg/)
If you wait over 48 hours, you may have a queen right hive. I waited too long last year and the bees had already started emergency cells. I didn't know any better and introduced the queen. She didn't make it through the night. I pulled the frames to make a split about 48 hours before I got my queen. Lesson learned.
Mark