Hairroller cages & candy v marshmellows

[Geoff]

Hi just bought some hairroller cages and i would like to hear how long it takes for queens to emerge through marshmellows and how long for candy

[Michael Bush]

Hairroller cages are for the virgin to emerge from the cell into but so she can't kill the other cells or virgins. Marshmallows and candy are not really realated, other than it's helpful to have something in the hairroller cage for her to eat when she emerges. I use a little crystalized honey. VERY little. Otherwise she gets all sticky and messy. If you are using them for releasing (a use I have not heard of before) I suppose you could put candy in the end, but why not use a cage made for that, like a JZBZ or a push in cage?

[JohnK and Sheri]

We have never used the hair rollers for releasing queens, only queen cages, either wood or plastic. We only recommend marshmallows when the queen has been with the colony for some time, say in the case of a package with queen that has been on a truck for 3+ days. The marshmallow will only take a brief time for the bees to chew through; the bees know their queen so the sooner she is out the better.
To introduce a new queen the marshmallow is too soft and the bees go through it much too quickly for a safe introduction.
Candy of the correct consistency is a better choice but especially if it is very warm or humid it is safer yet to put a little tape or tin foil over the candy plug and add an additional few days for them to accept her. You could use a barrier such as foil over a marshmallow and take it off after a safe introduction period.
Sheri