How long will queens stay healthy in shipping? I had queens that were shipped on 5/4/10 and did not receive them this week. If I get them on Monday the 10th that will be 6 days without water.Will the queens be healthy or should I ask for replacements? I know if I pick them up I can file a claim at the post office but sometimes they deliver to my home. What if the queen dies 1 or 2 days later from the stress?
Shipped queens
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Definitely check them upon receipt! If they are dead, you will likely have to file a claim with the post office. If they are alive, definitely give them a couple of drops of water on the screen.
If you haven't done so, contact your supplier. There could be a delay and the queens haven't shipped. If they have shipped, your supplier needs to know that you have not received them. If they are reputable, they will make arrangements send you replacements.
If you haven't done so, contact your supplier. There could be a delay and the queens haven't shipped. If they have shipped, your supplier needs to know that you have not received them. If they are reputable, they will make arrangements send you replacements.
I am getting them from walter kelly and there are 2 of them. Usually it takes 2 days to get them. But with the flood in Tennessee they said things were way off schedule and they have been having problems this week. I dont mind to take the queens as long as they will be healthy. But as stated I dont know how long is acceptable for them to be in shipping.
I called today and they were shipped. They said they would replace if there was a problem.I am trying to get a feel for if the queens are alive should I still ask for new ones. I may not receive them until later in the week who knows. As I said earlier I dont want them to die a day or 2 after I get them in a hive. One other question I have is I made one of my hives queenless on 5/6/2010. I was expecting to receive the queens the next morning. I had one queen that was very weak. There were 2 queen cells in the hive and her on 5/6. I took the queen and placed into a nuc to see if They would expand and possibly make a new queen. I took the 2 queen cells and used them for a split. The main part of the hive has no eggs. The only eggs were on the frame with the queen and the one with the cells.Will they except a new queen after 5 or 6 days. I do not believe they are making any queen cells but will check before installing the queen.
It depends more on the weather and handling than the time. In good weather and good handling they may be fine for a week. In bad weather or bad handling they won't make it through the day...
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