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Author Topic: Re-queen all four packages  (Read 1797 times)

Offline Michael Bach

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Re-queen all four packages
« on: April 20, 2010, 07:50:54 pm »
Ten days ago I hived four packages of Italians.  Today was the first inspection due to poor weather over the past few days.  I need to re-queen all four hives.  The 1st hive the queen was never released from the cage and was dead inside.  The 2nd hive had 5-7 queen cells.  So she did lay for a bit then the hive must have not accepted her for some reason or another.  The 3rd and 4th hive, the queen was released but there is no evidence of eggs brood at all.

There are two other hives that a mentor is having the same problem.  All six bees were hived on the same day and from the same apiary.

The hives have a mix of drawn comb and foundation.  I removed the cork from the candy end and did not scratch or puncture the candy.  The candy was soft not hard. All the queens were alive and seemed healthy upon istallation.

Not sure what happened.  Am I being impatient on some of the hives?

Any advise or experiences to the fact would be great.

I am taking a ride up to see my queen supplier tomorrow to see what is what.

Bummed.

Offline fermentedhiker

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Re: Re-queen all four packages
« Reply #1 on: April 20, 2010, 10:57:02 pm »
it's hard to say for sure, but some things to consider.  The hive that killed the queen likely did so because there was already one loose in the package and so may turn out OK.  The one with queen cells makes you wonder about the introduced queen's condition(or something the bees didn't like)  I have heard that quick queen superscedure is much more common than it used to be, but haven't experienced it myself.  I'm just thinking out loud, but it sounds like the queens may have been banked for an excessive time.  If so they may take some time to start laying.  I had a queen I purchased to make a Nuc with take 14 days to start laying last year.  I was sweating bullets, wondering what was going on for those two weeks :)
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Offline Michael Bush

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Re: Re-queen all four packages
« Reply #2 on: April 21, 2010, 01:12:03 am »
Sometimes it takes two weeks or a few days past two weeks for some of these queens to start laying.  I don't know the actual cause.  I used to blam it on banking, but I experimented with that and banked some queens for several months and when I put them in a hive they started laying in a few days, so I don't know the actual cause, but I have seen them take as long as a few days past two weeks to start to lay.  The ones raising a queen, I'd let them finish.  Maybe even steal one of those cells for the queenless one...
by the time you find a queen, buy her, get her shipped, get her introduced, it will take almost as long and the quality will not imporove over what you got last time...
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
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"Everything works if you let it."--James "Big Boy" Medlin

Offline Michael Bach

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Re: Re-queen all four packages
« Reply #3 on: April 21, 2010, 08:36:17 pm »
Luckily I have a queen supplier only 20 minute drive from me.

I drove up today with the purpose of picking up four new queens.  After talking in depth to the owner of the apairy, we decided to give the two hives a couple more days just to see what is truely going on.  I will insepct again on Friday.  If nothing has changed I will requeen on Saturday.

I did buy two new queens for the hive with a dead queen and the hive with the queen cells.  He told me to see the reaction of both hives by just placing the cage on top of the frames just for a few minutes.  The queenless hive, the bees quickly walked over to the cage and gently began to investigate.  So I requeened that hive.  Hope for the best.  The other hive with the queen cells was a more aggressive and seemed to be trying to get at her.  The entire hive became testy and very defensive.  That could be they do have a queen or they rather wait for their own queen to emerge?  Either way I feel the new purchased queen is doomed by the way the workers were active.  The didn't ball her but they were no gently like the queenless hive.

Also, the hive with queen cells seemed to very disorganized and very vocal.  I am using top hive feeders and there is a couple thousand bees in the upper deep with the feeder.  They are rather defensive.  There are walking over the hive walls and top with just a few on the feeder or pollen patty.  The other hives most of the bees are in the lower deep with a couple hundred in the feeder box.

Any thoughts?

Offline Michael Bush

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Re: Re-queen all four packages
« Reply #4 on: April 21, 2010, 10:37:41 pm »
Vocal and queen cells sounds queenless...
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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Offline Michael Bach

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Re: Re-queen all four packages
« Reply #5 on: April 23, 2010, 07:09:17 pm »
Feel much better today.

The two hives that I had a wait and see approach have eggs and small larvae.  In the last 2 or 3 days they have completed the pollen ring and the queen is laying.  Nothing great yet but she just started laying.  Nothing is capped as of yet.

The two queenless hives have shown progress.  The new queens are still in the cage.  The candy is 80% eaten.  Her attendants are feeding her and both have a calm demeanor, even the vocal one.

SO.  I thinks they will be fine.

Thanks for all who gave their input.  It helped a lot.

 

anything