Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => REQUEENING & RAISING NEW QUEENS => Topic started by: ruth on May 07, 2012, 07:22:42 pm

Title: where to place the queen cage?
Post by: ruth 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?

Title: Re: where to place the queen cage?
Post by: AllenF 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. 

Title: Re: where to place the queen cage?
Post by: Michael Bush 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 (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 (http://www.bushfarms.com/beesmath.htm)