queen castle

ronwhite3030 · September 26, 2010, 09:02:12 PM

on thursday i took a frame of capped brood with also eggs on the frame and put it in a queen castle, I checked today and the still had not built a queen cell although i did see a few emergency cones built on the frame with nothing in them will the bees make a queen cell like today or tomorrow if everything goes right when the eggs turn into larvae

hardwood · September 26, 2010, 09:15:30 PM

If you know you started with eggs, after 4 days with no action try again. I'd check them tomorrow and if no queen cells, add another frame with eggs/young larvae. Remember that you need to give the bees enough time to realize they are queenless. To make a "walk away split" it's best to isolate them from the queen for a day before adding the eggs/larvae.

Scott

AllenF · September 26, 2010, 09:17:28 PM

Queen castles also work well when you have several capped queen cells in your hives already. Pull out one and put it in a section of the queen castle. Take your best hive and pull the queen out to make them build new queen cells. Then you pull them out and replace the queen. I think you get better queen cells that way. But both ways will work.

ronwhite3030 · September 26, 2010, 09:26:43 PM

yea its getting a lilttle late in the season that i didnt want to disturb my bigger hive to muchbut yea tomorrow i will add more eggs and brood to the castle if nothing has happened the temperature is 97 degrees today so i still have some time to mess with the bees before it is to late would you suggest putting my older queen in the castle and having my larger hive produce a queen? also if i move my old queen over how long should i put her in a queen cage before i release her?

hardwood · September 26, 2010, 10:05:59 PM

If you're splitting with the queen (a forced swarm is what we call it) take three frames of capped brood, a frame of honey/pollen and a frame of drawn comb if you have it and put them in a 5 frame nuc. You have to make sure that the mother colony has eggs/very young larvae with which to make a new queen. It's a little late in the year to be making splits so be prepared to baby them through winter...we even need to do that here in FL. In early spring we may make weaker splits with only two frames of brood but that's a rarity and would be pushing your luck right now.

Scott

rdy-b · September 29, 2010, 01:44:17 AM

remember if they make a queen it will probley be laying around the first of NOV-frost on the pumpkin around here
cold syrup and the problems that go with it-at this time of year i would buy a mated queen and get a round of brood by the first of NOV-somthing to think about-RDY-B

ronwhite3030 · September 29, 2010, 01:49:31 AM

so i added more eggs and young larvae hopefully they will make a queen out of it.

ronwhite3030 · September 29, 2010, 02:05:47 AM

do u have a mated queen rdy u can part with?

rdy-b · September 30, 2010, 01:20:42 AM

No such luck -there are many outfits in your area-try arowsmith-RDY-B
530-527-2770
15121 mccoy road red bluff

ronwhite3030 · September 30, 2010, 03:26:10 AM

if i dont have a queen cell by friday i will buy a mated queen, it was 108 degrees outside today so i have awhile before fall and winter begins.

rdy-b · September 30, 2010, 08:41:39 PM

[A while before winter]----If the queen cell gets mated and she starts laying on schedule -it will be start of Nov-
the eggs she lays are going to start hatching-start of DEC-give or take-thats the problem -or else we would all
be splting our hives atleast three ways -to late for that-RDY-B

hardwood · September 30, 2010, 08:46:06 PM

I'll be making another round of split this weekend (planing on 120) but that's here and we are in a heavy flow from the Brazilian pepper, I have no idea what your climate is like :)

Scott

AllenF · September 30, 2010, 10:29:32 PM

108? You don't need a queen, they need some A/C. Are you feeding them in the queen castle? They have to have a lot of food to make a queen, that is why people start queen cells in a strong hive before pulling them.

rdy-b · September 30, 2010, 11:34:39 PM

Quote from: hardwood on September 30, 2010, 08:46:06 PM
I'll be making another round of split this weekend (planing on 120) but that's here and we are in a heavy flow from the Brazilian pepper, I have no idea what your climate is like :)

Scott

last week tripel digit heat-absolutley no flow-yellow jackets and Robing is RAMPED- :lol:
wheather is turning this week back on track -for the season-I took my winter loses in August - boxes are full of bees keeping my eye on almond payday- ;) RDY-B

ronwhite3030 · October 01, 2010, 04:41:46 AM

i cant wait till next year to have a payday

ronwhite3030 · October 01, 2010, 05:06:31 PM

well i have two capped queen cells in there on the brood frame I put in first, i must have missed seeing the cells. so i will just let them do their thing. and in about 2 weeks have a laying queen if all goes well.

hardwood · October 01, 2010, 05:18:24 PM

We wait a full 3 weeks after the planned date of emergence to check on the new queen. Sometimes checking too early can stress the bees and they may abscond.

Scott

ronwhite3030 · October 01, 2010, 05:47:02 PM

thanks for the suggested longer wait time hardwood, after putting work into building them i wouldn't want them to leave on me. if this goes well i will be off to a good start next season. feeding kind of stinks but i think it will put me more ahead then i would have been by starting next year with a single nuc.

hardwood · October 01, 2010, 05:53:05 PM

Best of luck!

Scott

rdy-b · October 19, 2010, 01:57:14 AM

Quote from: ronwhite3030 on October 01, 2010, 05:06:31 PM
well i have two capped queen cells in there on the brood frame I put in first, i must have missed seeing the cells. so i will just let them do their thing. and in about 2 weeks have a laying queen if all goes well.

whats happening :lol: _RDY-B