how to clip the queens wings

slacker361 · April 07, 2012, 11:22:51 PM

?

divemaster1963 · April 07, 2012, 11:41:59 PM

simple. pick her up and clip a smallportion of each wing. small wings, big body. can't fly away. unlike the bubble bee. they still haven't heard about the weight and thrust equation yet. :?

G3farms · April 07, 2012, 11:53:52 PM

practice on some drones first, they will let you know if you a squeezing too hard :shock: :-D :-D

rbinhood · April 08, 2012, 11:26:21 AM

Helpful hint.....take her inside and work next to a window or glass door, if she escapes you big ol clumsy fingers you will be able to retrive her.

slacker361 · April 08, 2012, 02:47:48 PM

Quote from: divemaster1963 on April 07, 2012, 11:41:59 PM
simple. pick her up and clip a smallportion of each wing. small wings, big body. can't fly away. unlike the bubble bee. they still haven't heard about the weight and thrust equation yet. :?

Clip a small portion of the wing....is that pRt of the outer wing?

Kathyp · April 08, 2012, 04:48:27 PM

before you do that, you might consider that clipping wings does not stop the swarm impulse. might be better to manage your hives than to mangle your queen?

G3farms · April 08, 2012, 05:01:00 PM

Quote from: kathyp on April 08, 2012, 04:48:27 PM
before you do that, you might consider that clipping wings does not stop the swarm impulse. might be better to manage your hives than to mangle your queen?

......but it does make it easier to pick the swarm up off of the ground :-D :-D

Kathyp · April 08, 2012, 07:50:11 PM

true...as long as you are there to scoop them up :-D

slacker361 · April 08, 2012, 08:10:23 PM

ok so is it the outer third of the wing?

AllenF · April 08, 2012, 09:16:28 PM

"The question has often been asked, "Does it injure the queen to clip her wings?" In case the wings are clipped too close to the body it may injure the queen as veins and nerves are cut. We clip the tip ends of both wings which prevents the queen from flying and in no way injures her. We do not advocate clipping one wing as the queen is apt to be injured. We used to clip one wing but too often just as we squeezed the scissors the queen would poke a leg between the blades with the result that she got an amputation along with the clipping." -Better Queens by Jay Smith

BlevinsBees · April 09, 2012, 01:08:08 AM

I've heard that in some cases, queens with clipped wings are superceded because the colony perceives she is injured.
Any truth to that?

beyondthesidewalks · April 09, 2012, 03:21:29 PM

I've heard/read the same. I don't clip or mark so I wouldn't know for sure.

My swarm prevention has been going through each hive body and picking the worst/oldest frame and replacing it with a new undrawn frame. Since I've started this program I don't have much of a swarming problem. Not as invasive or labor intensive as checkerboarding but seems to help.

Those old frames, if the wood is in good shape, end up in the solar wax melter and clean up nicely. Their next stop will be in a swarm trap with a piece of wood starter strip. The smell of the propolis and old melted wax is very pleasing to the bees(and me).

hardwood · April 09, 2012, 03:59:27 PM

At 6:00

http://youtu.be/2q0DDgol-BE

Scott

slacker361 · April 09, 2012, 06:07:21 PM

well that was easy enough once you got her all lined up....

Michael Bush · April 10, 2012, 10:59:08 AM

In my opinion clipping is a waste of time. But if you want to, get some SHARP scissors (it takes good scissors or they just fold instead of cut), catch her, hold her and clip off half of the wings on one side, careful not to get her leg (which she will be trying to put in the scissors...