Queen Cage

[Propaniac]

What is the longest i should wait for the workers to release the queen thru the candy before i consider poking a hole in it on my own? thanks for any help...

[pgg]

After 5-6 days check to see if the workers on the outside of the cage are biting on the wire or not. If they are, wait a couple more days and check again. If it looks like they're trying to feed her through the wire go ahead and help them release her.

Patrick

[beegee]

I always poke a small hole in the candy when I install the cage. If she is still in there after 3 days, I wait another day and release her but that is seldom the case. She's usually out in 3.

[JohnK and Sheri]

If you are talking a package that has been with it's queen for some time, 3 or 4 days you can usually direct release or poke that hole when you install the package. If you are requeening a colony I would make sure the new queen has plenty of introduction time before they have a chance to release her. Some of the failure of queen acceptance is too early release of the queen. Better she be in the cage longer than necessary than be released too soon.
Candy varies from one queen supplier to the next. Some of it is hard as a rock, some soft as a marshmallow. We have found many queens getting released too early, some in only 10 or 12 hours, because the candy was too soft. To remedy this we either leave the cork in or put a physical barrier (tape, tin foil) over the candy for three or four days before even letting them at the candy. After the 3rd day we will remove the barrier and let them release her through the candy. If the candy is hard a hole can be poked through it. If in another 3 days she isn't out direct release her.
Sheri