Lost queen

[beejazz]

I was transferring a mated queen into a cage from an apidea. Got her into the cage and before I could slide the top shut she escaped. I chased her around the apiary catching her twice but couldn't get her into the cage. Is there any chance she'll find her way home, or have I lost her?

To prevent another catastrophe would this work? unite the whole apidea to a Paynes poly nuc with newspaper. Take the floor out of the apidea and put the apidea on top of the newspaper on the topbars, two 14x12 ekes would give the extra space to accommodate the nuc. Perhaps a sheet of insulation board could be placed on the topbars and the apidea would fit into a cut out. Anybody tried this? It would get the queen into a nuc and at the same time I wouldn't have to waste the brood and bees.

[Jon]

If the apidea is sitting in the exact spot she mated from she might find her way back.
You can unite and apidea with a colony by removing the floor and putting it over the feed hole in the crown board via a bit of newspaper.
I don't like introducing queens this way as she only has a very small number of her own bees to protect her.
I think slow release over several days via a cage is better.

The advice I give our queen rearing group members who are not confident about handling queens is to use the pluffer pipe and do it indoors where an escaped queen will fly to a window where she can be easily picked off. If doing it outside, do it at the apidea site so that if she flies off she knows how to find her way back.

[nemphlar]

More recently I'm finding it more reliable to add a new queen with at least a frame of bees over a newspaper, remove the old queen place a newspaper over the brood box and a spare brood box with either a few frames from a nuc or an apidea inside with the floor removed next day put them altogether. I would always mark her before joining a large hive so doesn't get around having to catch her. I did have one take off this weekend as itried to push her into the marking tube and had to use the apidea next in line, like you I'm hoping she'll find her way home

[beejazz]

Yeh!!! She came home! Had a look this evening and there she was...I put her into a curler cage this time, one of those cages that is used to prevent virgins escaping from Q cells. I pushed on the Q cell holder on one end bunged up with candy. And the hinged lid at the other end. After reading a post on the BBKA, from Adam D? about heavily smoking a Q- colony prior to adding a new queen, I gave the nuc a good few puffs, (although chickened out with caging her!). The bees took an interest in the cage immediately, with some bees nasenov fanning, is that a good sign?

[wee willy]

Handling Queens with hands inside a plastic bag prevents such potential disasters :)
WW


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[Adam]

As a result of being a clumsy oaf, I've had a few queens fly off. I think they have all come back - just walk away and she is back in her hive/mini-nuc a wee while later. It's a relief when the do!

The direct introduction method (smoke-and-introduce) method does work :). I have to admit that I was a bit nervous the first few times I tried it. I guess I always worry that an introduction will work out however the queen is inserted.

Some have used aerosol sprays and claim good success when introducing, however I don't a) like the idea of chemicals and b) I have a smoker in my hand anyway so see no need for something else to carry about.

I have put an apidea over a nuc with newspaper just recently. The bottom has to slide out just so far; if it comes out all the way there's a large gap for the bees to get out from. I'll wait until the weekend to check that the queen has been accepted. Assuming she has, I will then put queen excluder between apidea and nuc with queen below. I expect the apidea to be cleared of bees and food after 3 weeks. The nuc isn't too full so the bees will draw the food (down) to around the brood nest. Well that's what I expect them to do.


Adam (D)

[beejazz]

Adam, I would be interested to hear how that goes, apidea united to nuc. I'm wondering what to do with the Q- apidea, i could keep the frame of capped stores for next year, is there anyway of saving the brood? and i suppose I should shake out the bees in front of hives?

[Jon]

Shake out the bees and put the apidea over the feed hole in a crown board. You can remove it after 3 weeks.