First Time Requeening

Started by RC, July 23, 2012, 10:37:48 AM

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RC

One of my hives is booming, I checked it last Monday and had 4 deeps full of brood and food. I made up a couple of nucs from this hive, placing capped and uncapped brood and honey frames in each. I bought 2 queens and placed the queen cages between the top bars the next day. I popped the tops on them yesterday to see if the new queens had been released, just in time to see one of the queens walk out of the cage and down the frame. Everything looks to be normal in this hive.
The queen cage in the other hive had the candy plug eaten out and all 6 of the attendants were dead in the cage. The queen was not in the cage. I couldn't go any further into the hive to look for the queen because it was starting to rain.
Is it possible that the queen was released unharmed, or did the bees kill everything and drag her out? I'm certain that the original queen didn't wind up in the nuc and I don't have a clue why they wouldn't accept the new queen. Am I overlooking something?

Sour Kraut

Give them 3-4 days and look for eggs

Gary

AllenF

Check it again this weekend for eggs.

yockey5

Attendant bees are often killed. look for eggs in a few days.

RC

Sounds like a plan, I'll check on them next Sunday. Out of curosity, why would they kill the attendants? I would think after a week, they would be used to them. But then again, this is my first year and I don't know much. Just learning as I go.

yockey5

"Out of curiosity, why would they kill the attendants?"

If I was to answer that the bees would make me a liar. I just don't know for sure why they do it, or why they sometimes let them live.