How Not to Lose your Honey Bee Queen, And how to control your queen while marking her.
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- Опубліковано 19 лис 2024
- We're in our second swarm season of the year now that it's late August.
I hived a swarm using a cotton butterfly net.
They initially entered the hive in large numbers only to change and move back out with the queen.
They remained on the front of the hive overnight and were likely to depart.
In this video, I scoop the queen up in my empty coffee cup and place her into a queen cage using a queen muff that is sold by BetterBee.
The purpose of that muff is so you can remove workers from a queen cage before introducing them into a hive, or so you can hold and mark the queen without the risk of her flying away.
I used it to contain the bees in my cup until I could nab the queen and put her into a plastic queen cage.
Then, I used a metal queen isolation cage with a frame of drawn comb that had been used for brood in the past.
Attendant workers can pass easily through the isolation cage bars and attend the queen while she begins to lay eggs.
She will be released from the isolation cage within the week.
There is a small risk of caging a virgin queen and keeping her from completing a mating flight, thus the 3 day release. However it will be obvious if she is laying since she is confined to a single frame of comb. My wife handled the mobile camera sequences.
Here is the UPDATE Video: • Queen Isolation Cage F...
Items referenced in this video are listed below -
These are not affiliate links, the isolation cage and muff are both available on the BetterBee.com website. I receive no compensation.
This is the link for the Queen Muff:
www.betterbee....
This is the link for the queen isolation cage:
www.betterbee....
The tool belt I was wearing is by Paul Kelly from U. of G.
It's called the Paul Kelly Bee Belt.
Another option for keeping the queen from departing after hiving, is an entrance style queen excluder: • How To Keep Your Hived...
Just let me know if there are any other questions.
www.fredsfinef...
Fred, I always learn something new by watching your videos. I love the quality of your cinematography. Please keep them coming.
Thank you so much :)
I really enjoy it when you post the time-lapse work. You can really see the whole biomass of bees in a different way when you watch the patterns at an accelerated time pace. So cool.
Thank you so much! :)
I was so delighted to see an extra video this week from you, Fredrick Dunn. This video was very interesting. Thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it!
A month ago a somewhat small swarm landed at the entrance of a swarm trap and like you the queen didn't find the accommodations to her liking. She exited the hive three times within a 15 minute period. After catching her for the third time, and placing her back in the hive, I covered the entrance for a couple hours. Covering the entrance worked and the hive is now thriving. It was an interesting experience, one that I'm glad worked out because the swarm barely filled three frames in a five frame nuc. I waited three days before inspecting the hive and was happy to see the queen had been busy laying eggs. I hope to add a second nuc box in a couple weeks, otherwise it may be necessary to combine it with another hive. I watch your youtube video 'The Way To Bee' every Friday - thank you for all the education you provide. I know I am a better keeper of bees because of these videos!
Hi Julia, thank you so much. Yes, I also have an entrance queen excluder and those are very helpful if you can get the queen/swarm all inside together. I could have done that this time also but wanted to demonstrate another method of queen retention. The entrance queen excluder is much easier and you don't have to get back into the hive to remove it. ua-cam.com/video/fv9Gk517HEM/v-deo.htmlsi=f218KnKWz-DxuZyH
I bought one of those years ago when you first demonstrated it. It’s awesome to ensure that you don’t loose the queen. I used I a couple weeks ago on a open air colony queen capture. Every beekeeper should have one!! Thanks Fred!!
Hi Rodney! I don't use it often, but when I need it, it's very convenient and gives you plenty of time to do what you need to :)
Never seen a frame cage. I’m learning a lot about bee keeping from you, Fred. Thanks for the videos.
Thank you :)
Should do a video on the layers after the swarm, interested in current conditions there.
+1 for an update of the long hives :)
Just noticed the back right foot of the hive seems to have shifted slightly off the platform.
+1 for drinking coffee while checking on the bees. Will be great if she is laying and you can do a mite treatment if required. Great video, it was informative on how you used all the different equipment. Thank you for sharing.
Yes, good eye, I aligned it after all was complete. :) Thanks.
Nice work Fred. Thank you for sharing.
Very welcome, and thank you for watching :)
I think the festooning is so interesting. It looks like they are being ripped apart! You can tell they are related to ants. Well done, Fred!
I'm often curious when they do it in situations like this, it's like all of the other bees just move out from under them and there hey are :)
Thanks Fred, looking forward to the update.
You're very welcome, I'll show how the queen progressed in that isolation cage. :)
This was another interesting video with new things I have not heard of before, like a queen Muff and the good old helpful coffee cup :) Thanks for sharing your knowledge. That is what makes bee keeping so interesting because you can be innovative on a whim. I am only a second year beekeeper so I am very new but I have studied bees for a couple years prior to getting bees which if you dont you will not have a good time lol I started with one hive and now I got two and I am sure more on the way in my future. As many as I can handle lol :) Thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much, and I'm so glad you are taking time to learn as you go and not taking on too much at first. Thank you for watching and taking a moment to comment :)
And if there is another queen along with this swarm you can tell who is doing the best at laying! 😅
Anxious to see how this turns out. That frame cage looks like a great thing to use.
We'll do a follow up :)
UPDATE, here is the follow up video: ua-cam.com/video/zF0L2yTxreQ/v-deo.htmlsi=FZM6cGFvYP8I0-6U
That’s what you call a Queens Cup
Good one! :)
Great video, thanks for sharing it with us. Looked like a much better method than some I've seen, such as shaking the bees in then completely closing off the hive entrance for 3 days. It seems like closing off the hive would be pretty stressful on them along with the shaking them in part. Thanks for the hands on video.
Thanks, Tommy! :)
New use for the 2-frame cage! Great, thank you for sharing :-) We look forward to see the outcome :-)
Very Handy! I also talk about them in today's Q&A Video :)
Thanks Fred, I do like your music selection.
Nice video, full of interesting information.
Glad you enjoyed it, thank you :)
Wow! I'm impressed, good job Fred.
Thanks, Linda :)
One of my local bee friends tried the queen isolation cage, but her queen was small enough to fit through the bars. I think she ended up modifying it somehow - maybe with hardware cloth.
You definitely need to make sure they can't get through. That hasn't happened to me yet. :)
Fort swarm I got. Went and bought a box. Shook them in the box hour before dark. Set them on the back porch. The next evening saw the queen fly in.
Very interesting video Fred. Can you explain on your Friday video why you used the isolation frame, and a little bit more info on it as I'm not sure you have shown it before
I'd be happy to :) Thanks for the suggestion.
We supposed to have tropical storm coming
Wow! Huge swarm. Is one box enough. Lol
I think so for this time of year :)
@@FrederickDunn They most likely will thin out. Are you going to wait a week and do oa treatment?
Heilà fantastic Me. Fred 🤩🤩🤩🤩
Great video!
Thanks!
Wow, thanks!
Thanks for watching :)
When I tried the white queen cage i tried to maneuver her in to walking in on her own. Im really gonna pratice picking drones up. Thank you for the viedo!
You can do it!
@FrederickDunn Thank you Fred! Also excited think I found a beek group of live like minded people.
Hi Fredrick.
Great vid. I have that cage. I also have the introduction cage. It would be a nice vid if you demonstrated in a vid the use of introduction cage.
i have put it to use for a hive that is queenless and has laying workers. I put a frame with pollen and brood in the introduction cage as well as a laying queen from my other hive which was way smaller in numbers. Hoping the workers will cease laying eggs. My problem is I don't know how many days I need her locked up. She was the previous queen to this colony. I had to share her amongst two hives as I lost a queen over winter. I also want to keep the same genes as this queen is great. But yes the problem is I don't know how long to keep her there before releasing her and her workers in this hive? I have only 2 years experience and I'm fumbling atm. I have new nukes coming in late may to create another two hives. I'm also hoping she had laid eggs on another frame in the hive I took her from. Any advice would be appreciated as it's hard to find much info on these new style introduction cages that take the space of two frames. Thank you in advance.
There is a lot going on here, I'll talk about this on Friday during the next Q&A session. You may not need the Queen Introduction cage in this situation. Let's get those laying workers under control with an overwhelming introduction of eggs, larvae in all stages, and capped brood. Particularly since the incoming queen is from the same colony stock. I'll explain my thinking in greater detail.
So, you now have a new piece of bee-keeping equipment. Any suggested size or brand of coffee cup reccomended?
I've used paper coffee cups provided free of charge by the archery club I'm a member of to remove spiders, centipedes, millipedes, praying mantises, butterflies and the occasional giant Asian hornet that have wandered into the buildings unannounced.
Yes, the absolute best brand of coffee cup to use is the one you have with you at the time :)
Soon they will be combining corn next to your lawn!🌽
This farmer waits until it's well into October before harvesting. It's feed corn.
If a new hive with nothing in it other than the frames and the screens is left outside in the garden, will bees colonize it of their own accord please? Nigel Moore.
No, it's not a good idea to leave that screen outside, if by screen you mean the queen isolation cage. It needs to have a frame of drawn comb in it, and must be inside a hive box so the workers can build their resources.
@@FrederickDunn No I meant just an empty hive with no bees in it. Would a colony take up residence by itself flying in from somewhere else? Thank you.
It's hard to get them to follow a lone queen into a hive body. BUT, if you zip tie a queen in her cage, to a tree branch near lots of hives on a warm day between 10 am and 2 pm she will draw a cluster of foragers to her, and you could in theory, place that cluster with that queen into a small nucleus hive.
@@nigelmoore9657
@@FrederickDunn Thank you. As I know only what I have seen on your recent videos, I have little knowledge. I wondered if an empty hive body was placed in a flower garden wether bees would move in if they saw it and wanted to move there. I take it that this would mean the queen would have to lead them there herself? If no maintenance was performed on a hive and it was left alone with no interference from a bee keeper, would it cease to function? As an aquarium needs maintenance so a bee hive???? Thank you. Nigel Moore.
Not a swarm question, but i need to make a decision. I need to remove a medium super, and there are some nectar in the frames, but not much. Should i just put them in my storage (garage) for the next year, or should i place them somewhere to rob out and store them cleaned?
I would put those out for a robbing station and then store them for next year, particularly if they are only partially finished off.
What gloves are you using Fred?
Standard surgical nitrile gloves. They don't prevent stings, but allow you to get a grip on queens without much pressure. :) They are sold by the hundred, and at least now are very inexpensive.
Do you do a mite wash on late season swarms or have you already done the last check before cold season?
I won't be mite-washing these swarm installs, but will be doing an oav treatment on the 8th day. This hive has a removable tray that will show if mites are present. One mite in that tray will be enough for me to do the treatment since this is the best brood break and greatest opportunity to remove any mites.
same thing here today, 2 swarms today.
I hope they didn't get away :)
@@FrederickDunnthe bigger swarm looks like they accepted the hive and are going in, but the smaller swarm I'm not sure of yet they were still bearding on the face of the hive as it started to get dark, I'll check tomorrow morning.
@@FrederickDunn I just checked on the big swarm, 80% went into the hive but there are still about 20% outside on the face of the hive, why would some remain outside?. As for the small hive they are back on the branch they were on, I'll try to collect them and cage the queen in the morning.
We supposed to have tropical storm coming
I hope you're all cinched up for that. Wishing you all the best, Wade!
@@FrederickDunn I put all bee boxes on the ground maybe thay stay. Going to open the chicken open tomorrow that way if they need to go to the tree they can last one we had washed alot of them into the wire and they couldn't get out because of the water