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Author Topic: where to place the queen cage?  (Read 2610 times)

Offline ruth

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where to place the queen cage?
« on: May 07, 2012, 07:22:42 pm »
I need to requeen a hive and have ordered my new queen. The hive is showing queenless behavior (noisy and somewhat aggressive) and seem to spend a LOT of time on the outside of the hive. I have two deep supers (two hive bodies, 10 frames) and I need to know where is the best place to put the queen cage.

There is very little capped brood left, so finding the "center of the broodnest" (which is what all the books say) seems tricky - best advice from experienced beeks?
"They alone hold children in common: own the roofs of their city as one: and pass their life under the might of the law. They alone know a country, and a settled home, and in summer, remembering the winter to come, undergo labour, storing their gains for all."
Virgil, Georgics IV, 154-157

Offline AllenF

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Re: where to place the queen cage?
« Reply #1 on: May 07, 2012, 08:58:32 pm »
Put the queen cage any where in there.   Just make sure the screen of the cage is open to the hive.  You can even slide it in on the bottom board.  I just stick it in the middle of the hive between 2 frames. 

Offline Michael Bush

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Re: where to place the queen cage?
« Reply #2 on: May 08, 2012, 07:41:47 am »
>I need to requeen a hive and have ordered my new queen. The hive is showing queenless behavior (noisy and somewhat aggressive)

Queenless hives have a distinctive roar at first, but that doesn't usually last.

> and seem to spend a LOT of time on the outside of the hive.

That is probably just the heat.
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesfaqs.htm#bearding

> I have two deep supers (two hive bodies, 10 frames) and I need to know where is the best place to put the queen cage.

Assuming they actually are queenless (which is always a bit doubtful) put it where the most bees are.

>There is very little capped brood left, so finding the "center of the broodnest" (which is what all the books say) seems tricky - best advice from experienced beeks?

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesmath.htm

My website:  bushfarms.com/bees.htm en espanol: bushfarms.com/es_bees.htm  auf deutsche: bushfarms.com/de_bees.htm  em portugues:  bushfarms.com/pt_bees.htm
My book:  ThePracticalBeekeeper.com
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