Help!!

and180 · April 11, 2008, 08:50:37 PM

This is my first year in beekeeping. I just got my package of bees today. When I was trying taking the cork out from the queen cage, I accidentally pushed the cork all the way in. No damage to the queen. At the time the queen did not escaped. I just lay the cage at the bottom of hive.There were four worker bees in the cage with her too. I noticed before the installation, the worker bees where in a cluster around the queen in the bee package. Is this a good indicator that the worker bees accepted the queen? So, my plan is to wait for a week and see what happens. My question is, will this mess up the building of the hive? Or I should order another queen?

Andy

Michael Bush · April 11, 2008, 08:55:42 PM

>So, my plan is to wait for a week and see what happens.

That's what I'd do.

> My question is, will this mess up the building of the hive?

If they kill her, probably.

> Or I should order another queen?

I would wait and see.

Alan Forbes · April 11, 2008, 08:59:04 PM

The worker bees are clustering around her because they are tending to her; she's been accepted.

Did you remove the cork on the candy end? If not, you should do so to allow the workers to eat through the candy and release the queen.

Kathyp · April 11, 2008, 09:02:51 PM

i came to the conclusion that the cork was put in there solely to frustrate me. now i peal the wire mesh off the front of the queen cage in a few days and turn her loose. not all cages are made this way, but if yours is, you can release her more easily in a few days by removing the screen and forgetting about those little holes. if there is candy, they may eat her free, but don't count on it.

and180 · April 11, 2008, 09:12:10 PM

Thank you for your replies.
Andy

Michael Bush · April 12, 2008, 05:58:26 PM

When installing packages I have a pair of tweezers in my pocket to deal with corks.

rdy-b · April 12, 2008, 10:20:55 PM

dont realease the queen when you dump the bees -wait four days -letting the cage hang between two frames so the bee can tend to the queen -if you remove the screen be careful and do it after removing three frames as so you can hold the cage low inside the box -I learned this the hard way more than once the queen has taken flight -if you are working many colonies she wont fly back -but if she flys and you are working one colony she may fly back if you stand there long enough :? :lol: RDY-B

Michael Bush · April 13, 2008, 10:57:08 AM

>dont realease the queen when you dump the bees -wait four days -letting the cage hang between two frames so the bee can tend to the queen

Why? I always immediately release the queen with a package.

rdy-b · April 13, 2008, 06:08:02 PM

Quote from: Michael Bush on April 13, 2008, 10:57:08 AM
>dont realease the queen when you dump the bees -wait four days -letting the cage hang between two frames so the bee can tend to the queen

Why? I always immediately release the queen with a package.

Many ways to skin a cat :-D but you are realy rolling the dice-and it is a real heart breaker when your new package gose defunk -by your own hand -IN GENERAL BEEKEEPING PRACTICES LEAVE THE QUEEN IN THE CAGE FOR A FEW IF NOT FOUR DAYS thats why package bees come with queen in cage I have installed HUNDREDS of packages and it works for me HOPE it WORKS for you :lol: RDY-B

Brian D. Bray · April 15, 2008, 12:45:30 AM

Quote from: Michael Bush on April 13, 2008, 10:57:08 AM
>dont realease the queen when you dump the bees -wait four days -letting the cage hang between two frames so the bee can tend to the queen

Why? I always immediately release the queen with a package.

The queen has been in her cage inside the package of bees for probably at least 2 days by the time you get her unless you're going to the supplier and getting your packages as they are made. 2 days is sufficient for the bees the accept the queen. No is really no dice roll on direct releasing a queen from a package. Solo queens are a different matter.

Michael Bush · April 15, 2008, 08:48:16 AM

>IN GENERAL BEEKEEPING PRACTICES LEAVE THE QUEEN IN THE CAGE FOR A FEW IF NOT FOUR DAYS thats why package bees come with queen in cage

I haven't seen a queen in a candy cage in a package for a decade now. I don't believe it is general practice anymore, at least in California where those cages seem to come from. They are in a cage so you can find them, make sure they are ok, mark them if you need to etc.

Leaving the queen in her cage is just as fraught with risk as letting her out. I've met as many newbees who have killed the queen trying to put a hole in the candy as have lost one that flew away and flying away is the only way I've lost one doing direct release.

I've had packages with queens in cages that abandoned the queen and moved next door. I've had them do the same at the same rate with direct release. I've had them abandon the queen in the cold and let her die because she couldn't move with the cluster. Then with the cage you often get messed up comb as they try to build it on the cage.

There are many risks, and I think the least is to do a direct release.

rdy-b · April 16, 2008, 12:43:05 AM

MANY risks indeed and with the price for bees you can never be to carfule -i just checked the thrirty five i dumped friday night -all is well at this end so i am a happy keeper hope all is well on your end -and yes they still do candy if you ask for it -the thing i dont like is the california mini queen cage that seems to have taken over -I think kohen invented the thing -alls well that ends well - :lol: 8-) RDY-B

and180 · April 20, 2008, 09:08:47 PM

A week later I didn't see any eggs yet or a queen. I am using foundationless frames so the bees are busy building the comb. Maybe this will take time. In two more days I will check the hive again. My doubts are pretty low so in the meanawhile I ordered a marked queen. It should arrive on the 28th. This time I will use tweezers and be much careful.

Michael Bush · April 20, 2008, 09:42:14 PM

My bet is you probably have a queen, but you might not. A banked queen sometimes takes a while to lay. If you haven't spotted eggs before you may not see them. In the next few days, if there is a queen, you'll see larvae big enough you can't miss them.

rdy-b · April 20, 2008, 10:16:52 PM

Quote from: and180 on April 20, 2008, 09:08:47 PM
A week later I didn't see any eggs yet or a queen. I am using foundationless frames so the bees are busy building the comb. Maybe this will take time. In two more days I will check the hive again. My doubts are pretty low so in the meanawhile I ordered a marked queen. It should arrive on the 28th. This time I will use tweezers and be much careful.

IS there any open comb for the queen to lay in -she will need someplace that is not pluged with syrup also -place a empty brood frame in there and come back in ten minutes or so and she should be on that frame - 8-) RDY-B

sarafina · April 21, 2008, 12:52:20 AM

Quote from: Michael Bush on April 20, 2008, 09:42:14 PM
My bet is you probably have a queen, but you might not. A banked queen sometimes takes a while to lay. If you haven't spotted eggs before you may not see them. In the next few days, if there is a queen, you'll see larvae big enough you can't miss them.

and180 - this is what Michael Bush told me when I couldn't find any eggs after a week and he was right. I checked after 2 weeks and found capped larvae and tiny larvae curled up in the cells, so everything was fine.

My queen came with a candy cage and I was ever so careful when I poked the hole in it! I picked my bees up so I am not sure how long that queen had been with those bees. MB - does that make a difference in whether or not to direct release the queen? Sure seems easier than coming back a week later and scraping all the burr comb off they make in the gap where the cage hangs.

Brian D. Bray · April 21, 2008, 02:40:12 AM

If the queen came with the package direct release is the easiest way to do it.

sarafina · April 21, 2008, 03:34:29 PM

I guess my question is - if the queen had only been with the package a few hours like mine had - would you still direct release her?

Michael Bush · April 21, 2008, 10:54:59 PM

> I picked my bees up so I am not sure how long that queen had been with those bees. MB - does that make a difference in whether or not to direct release the queen?

If you don't know how long she's been with them, it's probably safer to do the candy release. But I've never seen bees that were queenless for two hours that didn't realize they wanted a queen. And they have that one. My bet is a direct release will work fine.

> Sure seems easier than coming back a week later and scraping all the burr comb off they make in the gap where the cage hangs.

That's what I hate. That and they don't fatten the queen up to lay until she's release, so that's an extra four days or so.

>I guess my question is - if the queen had only been with the package a few hours like mine had - would you still direct release her?

It's probably safer in that case to do a candy release. But would I? Yes, I probably would do a direct release.

and180 · April 23, 2008, 10:27:37 PM

Good news!! Yes, I still have a queen. I checked the hive today and saw larvae in the broad. I also saw some caps. This made me happy. Andy