Queen dead in package

[pondman]

As i was installing the last of 5 packages that I got in the mail this morning. I found that the queen was dead in the last one with the 5 bees with her. All the bees in the package was fine. How long can a hive be with out a queen till I can get one. Going to call the place that I got the bee from an see if they will ship me another queen. Is their anything that I need to do in the mean time till i get one.

Thank you
James
Pondman

[doak]

Hive them and feed. If you do not have other older colonies that have built up brood that you can take a frame from, and drones flying, then thats about all you can do at the time.
I would asume you do not want to combine them with one of the others, or split them between two, "after" their queens are released.If so split them and use two boxes and the newspaper method. Again, JMO
doak

[johnnybigfish]

Hi pondman!
I had a problem with a queen that I assume was killed by her subjects. When I got my 2 packages and 2 queens I didnt know what to do! The packages didnt look anything like the ones I saw in the books I read....But that was because my packages were kind of sideways and I didnt know how the feeder can worked...I thought that if I tipped the packages over, like in the books, that the syrup would pour out of the cans. I also didnt know that there were 2 plugs in the queen cage and that the candy plug was under one of the cork plugs...Of
   course I ended up pulling the wrong ends out.....and of course the queens were not getting out without me finally tearing the screen window off!
 Anyways....I had to get another queen....So......2 to 3 weeks later (you know, the books tell you wait 10 days before peeking..or 3 days..it depends on what book on how long to wait)the queen arrived!
Now I knew how the queen cage worked....But....most of my bees in that hive I think moved over into my other "happy hive"! During my wait(7 days in the mail in a crummy stuffy envelope..poor queeny..) I bet there were only about 50 bees left in the queenless hive...
 I know this dude, Luke who used to have tons of bees and he told me to just switch the hives around...That made it to where all the foragers out in the field came home and went into the week hive!..It worked!!Now I have two hives again!
 Well,...back to your question....for me, my bees lasted about 3 weeks without a queen...If I hadnt of asked Luke I probably would have been taking care of my new queen in a jar, feeding her honey or something crazy like that. Also, once, when things looked dreary, I put a frame of bees from the happy hive into the weak hive..They mostly moved back to the happy hive in about a week.
 Just want you to know though....this is my first year with bees and its all new to me...This worked for me but someone else may say its a crazy idea.
 By the way,....the morning of the day that my queen came in?...I CAUGHT a wild swarm in a tree in my backyard!!.Only got stung 13 times!!...No ill effects either except my left foot swelled up. A week later all the stings got real itchy like chigger bites....But...3 days later after I caught the wild bees, they all flew away..I dont know why but they did.
If you get a chance, try out the "voice chat". Its pretty cool..It doesnt work for me very well as I have dial-up..Theres people in there who can probably answer your questions really quick if you cant type very fast, like me.(Hee hee...I can type about 50 words a minute with 2 fingers)
Good luck and see you later!
your friend,
john

[Brian D. Bray]

Contact the supplier you got your bees from and report the dead queen.  If he is a reputable businessman he will send you another queen no charge (maybe shipping only).  You should have a 10 day to 2 week window in which to introduce another queen the queenless hive.
If you have the same kind of problem that Johnny Bigfish related about the bees drifting to other hives place the newly requeened hive under or on top of another hive and foragers will drift back to it.

[Robo]

I have also seen dead queens when a queen was shaken into the package along with the other bees.   They then will ignore the queen in the cage and given enough time,  she will die.  Although not probable, it is possible, so it should be considered.  If it is the case,  you will be unsuccessful introducing a new queen.

[Michael Bush]

In my experience if the queen is dead and the bees are healthy, it's usually another queen that is the cause, in which case you'll get a new queen, install her and they will kill her too.

[pondman]

Maybe I need to word this alittle better....I Shook the bees from the package into the hive. When I got the queen cage out of the package she was dead. I feel that she died in route to the post office. I call the place that I got the package from an I was told that the owner was out in the bee yard an that he would call me about this matter. I guess if I don't hear anything in a couple of day I will just take them an put them on another hive that I just installed that has a queen an do a split later.

Thank You
James
Pondman

[Robo]

Maybe I need to word this alittle better....I Shook the bees from the package into the hive. When I got the queen cage out of the package she was dead. I feel that she died in route to the post office.

That is how I understood it.   When the package of bees was made by the supply, they just take frames of bees from their hives and shake the bees into the package, and then add a newly raised queen in a cage and ship it too you.  My point was that sometimes when they shake the bees from their hives, a queen ends up being shaken into the package as well.  When this happens, the bees stay loyal to the original queen (the one accidentally shaken into the package)  and ignore or kill the cage queen that is added to the package.   Before you assume your hive is queenless and try to procure another,  check them for eggs.

[TwT]

call your supplier and tell then you got a dead queen, let them send you another queen but dont install her in that package you installed, when you get the new queen put her in a hive with 2 frames of the bee's you loaded in the other packages, on the packages you installed without a queen  wait a 10-12 days and see if you see eggs , if not combine them with the news paper method with the queen you got in return and everything will work out.

[pondman]

Robo

Sorry that I miss understood you. I understand what you are say now... I would like to that everyone for there help. You all are a great bunch of people. An thanks to the beemaster for having a great site an the video on installing a package. Thanks again to all

James
Pondman

[pondman]

Hello....

Just got done looking into my hive that I just installed a week ago. I had one hive that when I put them in the queen was dead in the package. So I thought that that hive would be queenless till I got one. With the help for this forum I was told to just wait an see if one was by chance shook in with the bees as they made the package. I saved that hive for last as i pulled the first fram out i seen eggs Then there she was. At the same time the company that I got my packages from sent me a new queen to replace the one that was dead in the package. Going to make a call to a frien of mine to see if she can give me a couple frames of bees for a three frame nuc. Then I will put the new queen with them. Thanks for all the help. Robo thanks for helping me help an leting me know what to do.

Thank You
James Shoemaker
Pondman

[DayValleyDahlias]

So James,

Ther were actually 2 queens in there?  One loose and one caged?

[Kirk-o]

You Know Michael Bush is pretty smart .He has all these poop of Knowledge.
I've seen him mention another queen in the package before he is pretty smart
kirko

[Michael Bush]

>Ther were actually 2 queens in there?  One loose and one caged?

Usually when the bees are in good shape and the queen is dead, this is the cause.  A loose queen in the package.

[Robo]

Robo thanks for helping me help an leting me know what to do.

No problem,  glad things worked out for you.   This is more common than most folks realize.  Most folks don't realize that when they buy packages,  it is just a bunch of bees that the package seller shakes from his hives into a package and then adds a caged queen that was raised elsewhere.

Another misconception is that you are buying "Russian\Italian\SMR\whatever" packages, when in reality you are buying a "Russian\Italian\SMR\whatever" queen and whatever type of bees the seller has in his yard to make the packages.

So...... For example,  If you bought a "Russian Package"  (ie. Russian queen)  and the seller raises Italians,  your "dead queen" hive is Italian and your other hives are Russian.  I have no idea what you bought,  but you get the idea.