Is there a certain location within a swarm the queen is most likely to be?

iddee · March 28, 2009, 07:25:20 PM

Only 30 years and 80 lb., Rast. Just a minor difference.

Are you that kid playing in the sandbox across the street from the unload/load field? :shock: :-D

gaucho10 · March 28, 2009, 09:03:03 PM

iddee, I don't believe those are bees. It looks like cow turd to me.

iddee · March 28, 2009, 09:11:44 PM

gaucho10, do you need to borrow the money for new glasses? Maybe we could take up a collection on the forum to help if you're really that broke. In the meantime, maybe you could borrow a seeing eye dog. :roll:

BjornBee · March 28, 2009, 09:12:09 PM

Quote from: gaucho10 on March 28, 2009, 09:03:03 PM
iddee, I don't believe those are bees. It looks like cow turd to me.

Nice redirection.... :-D Opens up a whole new dialog.

Reminds me of the time I was at a resturant and had no paper. I left without my socks..... :shock:

iddee · March 28, 2009, 09:40:30 PM

I think Beemaster is going to ask us to leave without anything if we keep this up. I'm backing out before he comes in the door shooting.

JP · March 28, 2009, 11:50:25 PM

Man Brian, do we really have to go there?

There was this one time when my cousin and I were fishing out in the middle of a lake...

...JP :-D

Brian D. Bray · March 28, 2009, 11:59:02 PM

To get back on topic:

I've always been of the opinion that the queen is usually in the top 1/3 of the swarm cluster. But there are exceptions, as I've found after swarms with the queen near the bottom.

On the other hand There is a place within a hive that you'll most likely find the queen. I usually find the queen on frames 2,3 or 4 or 6,7. or 8 of the brood chamber in a 10 frame hive. If not in the top brood box then in the lower. I've been beekeeping for 50 years and with few exceptions I've found the queen on one of those frames. Speeds up locating the queen dramatically, why look on every frame if you don't have to. If i'm going into a hive with the intent to find the queen I look first on frame 4 of the upper brood box, then frame 3, then 2. On the opposite side I look at frame 6, then 7, then 8. If I don't find in the upper brood box I go to the lower one. The most frames I've ever had to pull, when purposely searching for the queen is 10 on a double decked brood box.

With Mediums, and the brood box extending into 3 and even 4 brood boxes (8 frame), the procedure is the same. I can still find a queen faster than anyone I know and I've been doing it since I was 10 years old. List that under things my mentor taught me.