I need a queen preferebly an Itialian but I need one fast! Mine died and dont have any brood because it was a new package. Don't want to loose them!
Thanks
ajm
Dear ajm in hopelessly lost:
If the package arrived with a dead queen you have two options:
1. The queen was most likely killed because there was one loose in with the workers (this happens occasionally when makeing up pacakages. Set up the hive and watch for eggs and brood.
2. Contact the distributor for a replacement. A true professional package bee producer will make good on the dead queen.
3. Take a deep breath and relax, like Forest Gumps says @#*& happens, don't sweat the small stuff and it's all small stuff.
Dear ajm
I had this to happen to me when I was installing my packages...Thought I need a queen also till I looked at them on saturday there was one in there. The place that I got packages from sent me another queen got her on saturday in the mail. Didn't need her so called a friend an she gave me two frames of brood with bees an made a nuc. Called the company that I got the bees from an told them that I was willing to pay for the queen that they had sent an the told me not to worry about it. I will be doing business with them again. Have a great day.
James Shoemaker
Pondman
What part of Indiana are you in? Up north I'd recommend Danny Slaybaugh (Nappanee) 574.315.5586. Central state, call Roger Graham (Morgantown), 812.597.2000. Both raise their own queens, and can mail them if you can't pick them up.
Is there a mentor or another beekeeper around that you might get a frame of brood from? I guess this could be an option if you trusted the source and if there is no loose queen and if you could not get a new queen from your supplier. This may be an option to also get a little jump start for your package. Do you have any other hive to draw from or is this your first?
I get my queens from COMA Apiaries in northern cal they can express mail it to you they have a web site
kirko