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How common is it to find an old queen that hitched a ride in a package mixed in with the workers? Just shook out a half dozen packages and while dumping the clump into one of them, a bright red dot caught my eye and sure enough, there was a fat old queen down with the commoners. These bees have had two queens in the package, one free running and one caged so I'm wondering which one they are most likely to accept?
i know she's a 2008 model, but I'm thinking of keeping her to start an extra colony. I could grab a handful of workers from each of the package hives, or a frame or two from an established hive, put one queen in and get them started building wax. My plan for all these Southern packages is to requeen as soon as I can raise or buy locally grown queens so I'm not concerned about her longevity.
My immediate decision is whether to leave Red Dot with her package mates or the new queen still in her cage.
Wayne
i know she's a 2008 model, but I'm thinking of keeping her to start an extra colony. I could grab a handful of workers from each of the package hives, or a frame or two from an established hive, put one queen in and get them started building wax. My plan for all these Southern packages is to requeen as soon as I can raise or buy locally grown queens so I'm not concerned about her longevity.
My immediate decision is whether to leave Red Dot with her package mates or the new queen still in her cage.
Wayne