Trapout questions

Started by contactme_11, July 22, 2009, 06:15:26 PM

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contactme_11

Last week I started 2 very large trapouts from 2 trees. Cutting down the trees was out of the question so trapout it is. Everything appears to be going good at this point. bees are coming and going from the boxes and more are leaving the cones all the time. I expect to collect at least 6-8 mediums of bees between the 2. My questions are this:
Can I put caged queens right into the trapout boxes (on the stand) to give them at least a week headstart laying? I'm worried about them making their own queens this late.
If I do give them queens and then I need to change boxes, will introducing a new caged queen right away in a new box lead to trouble? Thanks, pics to come later...

iddee

You are on your own with that one, unless someone else has tried it. I haven't. I did use a queenright swarm consisting of about 1 1/2 frames of bees, and that worked out fine. It was the second trap box, tho, after I had removed the first box of 7 deeps full of the older foragers.
"Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me . . . Anything can happen, child. Anything can be"

*Shel Silverstein*

Robo

Quote from: contactme_11 on July 22, 2009, 06:15:26 PM
Can I put caged queens right into the trapout boxes (on the stand) to give them at least a week headstart laying? I'm worried about them making their own queens this late.
I have done that a handful of times without issue,  just let them release her.
Quote
If I do give them queens and then I need to change boxes, will introducing a new caged queen right away in a new box lead to trouble? Thanks, pics to come later...

Why change the whole box?  I usually just remove the full frames and replace with empty comb, leaving 2 or so and the queen.  If your looking to make multiple hives out of it,  than I don't see why it wouldn't work, just let them release her.  Or better yet, pull frames of brood with nurse bees and make a nuc to introduce your new queen in and leave the original queen with all the field bees.

"Opportunity is missed by most people because it comes dressed in overalls and looks like work." - Thomas Edison