Beesource Beekeeping Forums banner

Rookie direct release....gonna drive me nuts.

2K views 17 replies 12 participants last post by  snl 
#1 ·
Long story short, I had no marsh mellows.:doh::doh:

Pulled the cork, hung the cage and tipped the bees over her.

No one flew away, covered the cage and NUC box with a towel.

Bees been caged since last Wed or Thurs.

Guess I will know more in a couple days.:waiting::waiting:
 
#2 ·
In the future, I'd suggest that you install the cage with the cork in and leave for a few days. Then, return and remove the cork.
You don't need any marshmallows.
 
#3 ·
A queen breeder gave a talk at our bee club a couple years back and described his method for determining if the colony was ready to accept her.
He’d place her in a queen cage and place that cage in the colony for some hours (don’t recall but I think it was 12 hrs.). When he returned if the bees surrounding the cage brushed off like water then they were ready. If the were more like Velcro when brushed off then they were likely not ready for the new queen.
 
#8 ·
My guess is that it is highly likely they accept her. I have simply "dumped" queens in, and combined hives, with no known ill effect. Not always the best method for the bees, but sometimes expediency is the best choice for the beekeeper.

Update us when you know.
 
#13 ·
Almost 40 years ago I ordered 10 packages and went to install them that afternoon.The place I had ordered from told me to install the bees and then just pull the cork and direct release her. I got down to about #8 and heard a swarm of bees and it came from the first one I had installed.By the time I was pulling the cork on #10 there was 6 of those 10 packages in the air and leaving out.I learned my lesson that day and never direct released a queen like that anymore.Pull the cork on the candy end and dont direct release.
 
#17 ·
The JZBZ caged queens I've gotten recently had candy. The problem is that the bees in the splits eat through it in less than 24 hours. In the case of splits...this is bad news as the acceptance rate plummets.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top