Just can't find my queens!! Need to add my new queens.

1223 Views 3 Replies 4 Participants Last post by Michael Bush, Aug 23, 2006

mtnscout

Discussion Starter · #1 · Aug 23, 2006

Wow. What a buncha really mad, mad, mad bees!!!

I have 7 hives and have not been able to find the queens in any of them. They are fulla bees and honey and all that.

I got 7 new queens and just gave up actually finding and killing the existing queens before intoducing the caged new ones. I do everything else by the book, but I cannot see well enough to find the queens.

Few of the frames have eggs, but still have alot of brood and a few larvae. One hive had NO larvae or eggs.

Please advise!! This is the first time I have requeened in the fall and will probably resort to the spring....a better classa bees at that time of year.

Let me know if I have really messed up. I will find another way if I can next time.

Thanks
Mtnscout

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JohnK and Sheri

· Premium Member

Joined Nov 28, 2004

2,317 Posts

#2 · Aug 23, 2006

I would get those caged queens out of there if they are still alive. I don't think they will accept her if they have a queen that is laying. Shake a queenless nuke, put your cages in there and let them take care of your queens til you can install them in the queenless hives. Your queens can stay in these cages for quite a while, you could do one a day.
You could find the queens by sifting the bees through a queen excluder over a box one frame at a time and as the bees go through the excluder the queen will stay on top and you can catch her. If you want to be sure she doesn't get through, use two excluders.
Sheri