waxing close hole on queen cage

1812 Views 8 Replies 5 Participants Last post by Michael Bush, May 13, 2014

greif

Discussion Starter · May 12, 2014

Hi
Got my packages on saturday and I ordered carnolinas but the dealer only recived Italians so he swapped out the queens cages with carnolians. This afternoon I went out to check on them and one of the packages it appears the workers were sealing the cork hole of the queen cage closed. Is this something to worry about? Do they not like her? I took the cork out and plugged it with marsh mellow now
Will they kill her? On Saturday I had opened the packages took 4 frames out and just set the packages in the hives then took the queens marked them, put back in queen cages with cork then set them on top of package, so then they glued queen cage to package and cork closed
Thanks

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tomkat

· #2 · May 12, 2014

Never had this problem, but, do the bees cover the bee cage with bees, or are they leaving her alone?
Also when did you install your packages? How long has she been in the cage?

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greif

Discussion Starter · #3 · May 12, 2014

The bees were covering her cage. She has been with them 2 1/2 days

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tomkat

· #4 · May 12, 2014

give them a few more days, she should be out. If after a week or so of being installed and she is not out yet, open the queen cage and let her out.
If these queen cages are the new plastic type, open the cap on the flat end of the cage, then you can twist that end open.
I don't know weather it is worth it or not but I put the empty queen cages into a zip lock baggy and save them for my bait traps.

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greif

Discussion Starter · #5 · May 12, 2014

Thanks
I took the cork out and put marsh mellow in so hopefully it will take another few days for them to get her out and everything is fine by then

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burns375

· #6 · May 13, 2014

if you put the queen cage in with the cork installed its possible. You're suppose to pull the cork to expose candy, for a slow release the workers chew thru candy to release queen.

If the candy was exposed and they waxed it over that is unusuall, they may not understand how to release queen and are ready to build comb as most packages are.

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Tenbears

· #7 · May 13, 2014

Burns375 what if it is a California cage?

2 1/2 days, I would have just opened the cage and let her get out, if they have not accepted her in 2.5 they wont in 25 they are obviously feeding her, so they must like her.

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greif

Discussion Starter · #8 · May 13, 2014

There was no candy in these just cork

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Michael Bush

· #9 · May 13, 2014

I have not seen a candy cage in a package for more than a decade and a half... all California cages... no candy. Those of you back east assume all queens are shipped in candy cages. That is not the case.

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