Queen

Dange · May 16, 2011, 07:46:17 PM

This is my first year having a hive. So I released my queen after six days in her cage( I learned that this is too long). I checked back today to see if she was alive and well. She was a marked queen. So as I checked today the first thing I noticed was larva, but no queen. So I thought I would work my way back double checking. I was afraid of laying workers. During my double check I found my site of relief, a queen that looked exactly like the caged one but not marked. I was wondering if it is a different one or the original without the mark? Would they have taken the mark off somehow? This was package hive so I know they couldn't and they didn't make any queen cells. Thanks.

AllenF · May 16, 2011, 08:14:49 PM

2 ideas come to mind. Your package had a queen (unmarked) in with the bees the whole time that was missed when they were boxed up. And the marked queen is no longer around. Or, it was a marked queen until the paint was cleaned off.

Dange · May 16, 2011, 08:17:59 PM

That's the only thing I can think of. Could they have got the mark off in four days?

Michael Bush · May 17, 2011, 02:04:12 AM

It could be they removed the mark, I've seen that occasionally. It could be there was another queen loose in the package and that's why they didn't release the other queen. They had no interest in her.

BjornBee · May 17, 2011, 06:47:07 AM

Lets hope they cleaned the mark off. Who knows what foul smelling, carcinogenic stuff, was plastered on her. Since there is no actual designed, tested, and approved marking pen out there, most beekeepers and queen producers are left with a myriad of products, many of which you would not want on your skin longterm.

Scan down to May 2009 for an interesting read on marking queens.

http://www.bjornapiaries.com/beekramblings0910.html

Michael Bush · May 17, 2011, 07:10:49 AM

That "foul smelling, carcinogenic stuff, was plastered on" her hard impermeable shell...

BjornBee · May 17, 2011, 07:27:23 AM

Quote from: Michael Bush on May 17, 2011, 07:10:49 AM
That "foul smelling, carcinogenic stuff, was plastered on" her hard impermeable shell...

Yeah, that's right. Impermeable! Slap on whatever you can. :roll: It's your bees. ;)

Tommyt · May 17, 2011, 07:30:08 AM

Quotecarcinogenic stuff, was plastered on" her hard impermeable shell...

:lau:

GoooooD day

Tommyt