First attempt at homemade queen

[Hayseed]

I have a friend who had a very strong colony with a very desireable queen. She was a supercedure queen from last year. Solid brood nest - good temperment - productive. We decided to split by simulating a swarm - took the queen and lots of capped brood and nurse bees to a distant location. The're doing great.

Yesterday, I examined the original hive and found, as expected, lots of queen cells - good sized "peanuts" but not yet capped. I stole a frame with queen cells and two frames of mostly emerged bees, placed them in a 5 frame nuc with two frames of honey and shook in extra bees. I moved the entire nuc to another distant location and have kept them inside and confined. (It got cold last night)

My concern is: Was it alright to move the cells before they were capped? and when should I let them fly?

I acted on impulse - just wanted to experiment, but having second thoughts.

Thanx,

Dale

[Hook]

You said --> My concern is: Was it alright to move the cells before they were capped? and when should I let them fly?

Reply--> I don't like moving queen cells like that. It is really going to depend just how big the queen larvae was. If it was small, and did not detach from the jelly, I would say no problem. But if she is big, and getting ready to get capped, you may have problems. My guess is it will probably be alright. I would not move them very much at all once capped. I have killed queens moving them around. Like I said, if she gets separated, its all over. I move mine to an incubator, but I have done that a few hundred times, and know how to handle them, and still lose a few now and then.

Time will definately tell. Also you said it got cold, I hope you had enough bees to keep those cells at 95 degrees. I also lost queens by seperarating them too early in the season. In PA, it gets into the 30's yet in May, so I have to be careful of what I am doing. I know, the excitement got the best of you!

[Velbert]

Hi Dale

You can let them out as soon as you got to the new location if you moved them at least 1 mile.So the field bees wont return to the parent hive.I also would check the Queen cell to make sure it has a live larva in it some times when you move one they will fall away from their food supply the royal jelly and die this can happen up to a day or 2 after the cell is capped.Also you many want to check back in 4,5 days and knock off the emergance Q cells because they will swarm on you.

[Hayseed]

" I know, the excitement got the best of you!"

No doubt - as you say, time will tell. It got down to 37 last night. Tonight expected to reach mid 20's. I put the Nuc in my honey room and wrapped it in a heavy bedspread. I'd have brought it in the house but I'm afraid both the girls and I might lose our happy home.

Dale

[Michael Bush]

My bet is they will do fine.