I used the Palmer method of separating the workers from their queen yesterday afternoon. It's a three deep hive, I had put queen excluders between the boxes 5 days ago. I found brood of varying ages in all the boxes, but no eggs that I could say were freshly laid, which made it difficult to say where she was with certainty. Anyhow, shook them off into the box and they crowded onto the sides of the box instead of going back down into the hive through the excluder. The duct tape that was supposed to stop the bees from running over the sides of the box worked so that they weren't crawling out the top. I would brush them down off the sides to the bottom, but still they ran up the sides and just hung there, a few grudgingly going through the excluder.
It was getting towards 7pm, so I quit and put the shaker box on top of the hive, hoping they would migrate down on their own overnight. I work today until 4pm, so I guess I'll see where they are.
Is this the way it usually goes? I thought about using a fume board to expedite their migration, but maybe it's better if they go at their own speed?
It was getting towards 7pm, so I quit and put the shaker box on top of the hive, hoping they would migrate down on their own overnight. I work today until 4pm, so I guess I'll see where they are.
Is this the way it usually goes? I thought about using a fume board to expedite their migration, but maybe it's better if they go at their own speed?