[scurryn]

I opened up my 2 honey supers last week and found the (a?) queen laying up there.

I immediately removed the excluder -- anything else I can/should do?

 

[bigbore]

if you have any honey robber, or bee quick use it like you would to pull the supers, then replace the excluder.

 

[Beeslave]

Do as stated above. Make sure you chack your excluder to make sure none of the wires are bent allowing the queen through.

 

[scurryn]

If I set up a one-way bee escape -- does that run the risk of hurting the queen?

 

[bigbore]

You have to remember the specific abilities of a queen. SHE IS TOTALLY RELIANT ON THE BEES AROUND HER TO FEED AND CARE FOR HER! bee escape stops other bees from being around her, but won't move her down unless there is no longer room for her to lay(then she would move down anyway). A bee escape risks forcing too many of the wrong bees down, and starving the queen. But that is only MHO, others with an idea??

 

[NeilV]

Find the queen, put her in the bottom and put the excluder back on and resuper. Once she starts laying up top, she may keep doing it unless she gets relocated.

 

[scurryn]

Good point about the bee escape - we ordered some honey robber yesterday

Thanks for all the advice

 

[Countryboy]

If any wires are bent on your excluder, fix the hole and put the excluder back on the hive.

Set your telescoping lid upside down on the ground. Put a super on it, and shake out your super like this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iddq0-hjYXQ

Dump the bees at the hive entrance. If you see the queen in the mass of bees in your lid, grab her and run her in the hive entrance.

Repeat this on every super until you have emptied every super of bees or until you have spotted the queen and you know she is below the excluder again.

 

[Michael Bush]

>anything else I can/should do?

Relax.