New Queens

doak · June 07, 2007, 05:25:36 PM

Just got back about an hour ago. Talked to Mr. Wilbanks.
He said he didn't loose any more bees than normal this past winter.
He seems to think it is the new Nosema.

I told him how long the one hive had been queenless and he said to add a frame of brood, make sure it's free of queen cells.
This will help her and the colony bees both adjust better.
Will see to things tomorrow morning.
doak

doak · June 09, 2007, 05:18:46 PM

Put the new queen in the queenless hive yesterday.
Looked for the queen in the other hive but could not find her. Went back today with an x-cluder and empty deep and found "a" queen. I was surprised at how slim she was, but on the other hand they had started another supercedure cell. May be best if I let this one sit for several days to make sure all eggs/dayold brood are gone. In the meantime I can shake out a nuc from one of my other colonies and then use the newspaper method to combine the two.
doak

Michael Bush · June 09, 2007, 11:29:23 PM

>May be best if I let this one sit for several days to make sure all eggs/dayold brood are gone.

Why?

doak · June 10, 2007, 10:20:37 PM

I went ahead and put the new queen in today.
I still can't figure out why the queen I found was so small. She should have been a little bigger for a laying queen, unless she was a supercedure that haden't mated yet.
While serching for her I did not see any eggs, only larvae in all stages.
When I put her in the bees started crawling on the cage, calm like.
Oh well, I'll know in a few days.
doak

rdy-b · June 11, 2007, 02:29:35 AM

[I was surprised at how slim she was, but on the other hand they had started another supercedure cell] was the cell caped or open? if it was capped and she was a virgin she would have chewed threw the side . If it was capped and she was a layer or freshly mated she would do nothing to it.If it was a open cell we will never know for sure but we do know the egg came from somwhere :-D I hope the new queen lays well for you RDY-B

doak · June 11, 2007, 10:50:21 AM

The cell they had started was in the early stage, not yet capped, with larvae in it.
doak

doak · June 13, 2007, 03:34:18 PM

Put one in Friday and the other Sunday.
Today both are out of the cage and no queen on the front pourch.
Things must have suited the Bees. :)
doak

Kirk-o · June 17, 2007, 09:57:35 AM

Good deal it looks like your headed back the right direction
kirko

doak · June 18, 2007, 10:24:08 PM

Don't know if its too early to tell anything or not.
Today I looked at the queenless hive I requeened.
Remember I put the caged queen a week ago Fri.
Checked it, and the other one wed and both were out of the cage.
Checked today and found nothing in the queenless one.
no queen, no eggs no larvae. It has a super that is about half filled with honey and the comb needs replacing in it. Still has a good number of bees.
I gave this colony frames of brood three times and they did not build a queen cell.
Now I can't find the new queen.
It will stay as is till I get the rest of my honey off one of the others so I can get to the brood frames.
Then I will take a new box with some drawn comb and do a 100% shakedown.
Artificial swarm shake, give it a frame of brood.
Then if nothing happens I'll newspaper it to another.

In July I plan on making up some mating nucs and a cell building hive and try raising about 7 or 8 queens.
I am going to pick my stock from the two colonies that went crazy making honey this year.

Total cost of queen, that includs gas$$, $35, and a day spent for the trip.
That don't cut it in my book.
doak

rdy-b · June 18, 2007, 11:25:31 PM

yes beekeepers are a thrifty lot :-D

rdy-b · June 18, 2007, 11:33:58 PM

sometimes it pays time wise to ask the gent that sold you the queens if you can buy cells .going rate 2.50 each buy plenty and you can do pocket boxes.louds of fun. :)

Kathyp · June 19, 2007, 05:01:45 PM

i just picked up a new queen. 25.00, but it's better than driving to the PO. + the bee store makes sure they are handing out live queens. i don't have to worry about it getting here dead.

they mobbed the box when i put her in, but then ignored her. guess that's better than trying to kill her! i'll let them chew her out of there.

doak · June 19, 2007, 05:10:05 PM

I went and picked mine up. It was alive when I put the cage in. I'll check in about two weeks and see how they are doing. Then if I don't see any sign of brood I'll just shake-um down and do whatever with them.
Hated to lose that one, it was the gentlest I had.
Oh well.
doak

doak · July 05, 2007, 12:46:42 AM

Well, I found brood in all stages today in the hive I requeened that was queenless.
Also found two queen cells. There is still enough bees to do a split.
So tomorrow I will find the queen, give her some bees and comb and a new box and new location.
Leave the brood and cells in the old spot.
I've got to try to shake the swarm intent out of them. :roll:
doak

rdy-b · July 05, 2007, 10:18:36 PM

doak you do your home work and are a fine example of a beekeeper glad its going your way :) RDY-B

doak · July 18, 2007, 01:51:01 AM

It has been 5 weeks.I don't know how the one that was queenless is doing, but the one that was queen right and I found the old queen and removed her. Put in the new queen. Last couple days I noticed the new bees apearing on the landing deck.They are very light in color. I will be opening it up next week to check the gentleness of them.

I have got to check the other one, rember I split it. I should find the queen in one of the splits, if not, and none is in the other I will combine these two with two of my weaker hives.
Thought I'd give an update.
doak