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Author Topic: Learned something this weekend  (Read 1755 times)

Offline D Coates

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Learned something this weekend
« on: May 14, 2013, 04:29:48 pm »
Okay, I'm always learning something but I truly felt schooled on this one.

I was reviewing a hive that seemed to be busting at the seems this weekend.  Sure enough, capped swarm cells, at least 15 of them.  I thought about it and decided to remove the queen and put her in a nuc as a queen bank, and remove 2 frames with mature capped Q cells along with 4 frames with eggs, open larva and honey and 2 dry but drawn frames (from a dead out) for a total of 2 5 frame nucs.  I start searching and there she is 5 frame into the search.  I felt pretty cocky.  I got a queen cage set it to the side, opened it and reached over to get the queen.

Poof, she flew off like a shot.  I stood there dumbfounded waiting for her to return to the opened hive.  Nope, not that I saw.  I went ahead and did what I had planned but made sure to leave some capped swarm cells and added a drawn super to reduce congestion even further.  I checked on the hive the next day and it had the queenless roar so no telling where she went but I'm confident where's she not.

When I found her there were eggs on that frame so she was still laying.  I didn't think laying queens could take off like that but learned otherwise.  Anyone else experience this?
Ninja, is not in the dictionary.  Well played Ninja's, well played...

Offline AllenF

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Re: Learned something this weekend
« Reply #1 on: May 14, 2013, 04:52:20 pm »
I'm willing to bet that she is back in the hive.   

Offline Old Blue

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Re: Learned something this weekend
« Reply #2 on: May 15, 2013, 12:25:49 am »
Do they slim the queen up to get her in shape for flying before swarming?  Like maybe while the swarm cells are developing?
If they do then maybe that was why she was so light and quick.

Old Blue

Offline BlueBee

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Re: Learned something this weekend
« Reply #3 on: May 15, 2013, 01:30:45 am »
I never had a queen go ‘poof’ and fly away on me yet (thank God).  I would also be a little dumbfounded at that point.  Like what just happened here. :?  I would agree with Old Blue, the queens must slim down to swarm so maybe she was on a diet.

Offline D Coates

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Re: Learned something this weekend
« Reply #4 on: May 15, 2013, 11:00:16 am »
I was thinking the same thing about the slimming down, that I thought coincided with cessation of laying eggs.  One of the Q cells that was torn open when I separated the deeps had a queen in there that was fully formed and started groggily walking.  I'd say a day or 2 before emergence.  The other Q cells that were torn open were still in larval stages.

Allen F, I hope she's in there.  I lost a queen during an introduction and saw her come back and heard the hive react.  But the hive in question has the distinct queenless roar.  I'll be in there this weekend and if there are eggs I'll find her as she's quite the strong layer and I've got a hive I'd love to drop her in.
Ninja, is not in the dictionary.  Well played Ninja's, well played...

 

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