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Storing a queen overnight

1937 Views 4 Replies 4 Participants Last post by  RayMarler
Just picked up a replacement queen from the bee store. She is in a cage with some workers on the outside in a small brown paper bag. How can I store her overnight until we can get her into the hive.?
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Take her into the house where the temps are comfortable for humans (around 70F). If there isn't any food or water source in the cage, I'd lay the bag on its side, place a small piece of clean sponge (soaked with 1:1 sugar syrup, moist but not dripping wet) on a piece of plastic large enough to ensure the food doesn't soak into the bag, but remains available to the bees. It might be better if the companion bees were inside the cage with the queen, but they should be able to attend her as long as they have food themselves. I'd also carefully put a very small drop of syrup (about one eye dropper drop) on the cage where the queen can access it, but don't get it on the queen, it may stress/injure her (it doesn't take much liquid to drown a bee, especially if there aren't lots of other bees around to quickly clean off the affected bee). That way she can get something to eat even if the attendants neglect her, the closed bag should help protect them from drafts but don't put them where they will be too warm, nor too cold (not below 70F nor above 76F).

If the cage has candy, just supply a little water.
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No problem, you can keep her in the house a couple of day's in a quiet warm place, give
a drop of water each day.

Konrad
Just picked up a replacement queen from the bee store. She is in a cage with some workers on the outside in a small brown paper bag. How can I store her overnight until we can get her into the hive.?
Give them a drop of water and store in dark place. They should be fine for the morrow.
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