From: "deelusbybeekeeper" <deelusbybeekeeper@excelonline.com>
Date: Sat, 12 May 2001 13:20:27 -0700
To: <BiologicalBeekeeping@yahoogroups.com>
Subject: Re: adjusting to 49ers

Hi to all on Biological Beekeeping

Gene wrote:

> I went out this morning and put a
> full frame of eggs from the strongest hive in the
> queenless hive. I do not have any capped brood in any
> of the hives yet. The strongest hive has around 6
> fully drawn out frames. Can I remove the queen
> excluder on it?

No! More and more as your bees go to the feral in acclamitizing to
local/regional surroundings you will have to due certain things slightly
different. This is one of them. Natural sized bees are more prone to
swarming impulse.

Always hive packages (natural sized bees like in this case) and feral swarms
with a queen includer (actually excluder) on the bottom board under the super
for bees. Wait until the queen is laying and brood cells are capped and
emerging brood is coming out, AND flight schooling! With this the bees are
orientated to the sun fully with new bees in this location. Then pull the
excluder.

Now when moving if you must! If less than one full box of bees and emerging
brood with pollen and honey stores, reuse a queen includer for moving. Then
also wait 30 days (1 full brood cycle at least) to again remove the queen
includer. These will normally be the hives most prone to abscond/swarm out
when desturbed like in the natural.

Now when moving the bees if you are moving two boxes of brood or more.
NOrmally no problem! Just move. There will be ample bees in reserve in the
broodnest to commit the bees to stay during the transition to a new
location. also preferably do it at night right after sundown and the bees
stop flying. That gives the bees a chance to settle down overnight and then
reorient to sun with first light in the morning.

> Also I just talked to Bill and he said I have a queen
> in the mail. Would I be better off to distroy the
> queen cell once I see that they have excepted the new
> queen?

Reply:

Once the new queen is accepted and laying normally and you can see eggs and
open brood go ahead and destroy or give to a friend (if one nearby needs a
queen cell). Of course the bees themselves seeing they are queen right just
might go ahead and destroy the cell themselves also.

Now if you put the frame of brood in and get more than one cell being made
and capped, I definitely would call a friend as many beekeepers nowadays are
in need of good stock, and Bill Gafford's stock is A-1, caucasian and small
and already on 4.9mm foundation. But save one cell back until you see the
replacement queen accepted and laying.

Dee