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Author Topic: Forced Abscond and the Queen  (Read 960 times)

Offline Ben Framed

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Forced Abscond and the Queen
« on: February 20, 2020, 08:18:46 am »
During a hard time of nature such as a forced abscond, (as a SHB take over for one example), does  the queen bee leave with the rest of the refugees, or does she go down in doom, (with the ship)?




« Last Edit: February 20, 2020, 08:31:12 am by Ben Framed »
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Offline BeeMaster2

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Re: Forced Abscond and the Queen
« Reply #1 on: February 20, 2020, 10:59:56 am »
The reason the bees leave is to give the hive a chance of surviving. There only chance is if they have a queen with them. So yes, she goes with them.
Jim Altmiller
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Offline AR Beekeeper

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Re: Forced Abscond and the Queen
« Reply #2 on: February 20, 2020, 11:08:58 am »
The only abscond I have ever witnessed I assume had the queen with it.  It clustered in a tree just as a swarm does.  When I checked the hive it left, it had no adult bees and only a little sealed brood, no queen cells were found.  There was food on the frames in the brood nest and a partially filled medium super.
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Offline CoolBees

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Re: Forced Abscond and the Queen
« Reply #3 on: February 20, 2020, 01:16:45 pm »
In my first couple yrs beeking, I experienced several absconds. I never saw the queen left behind - but she may have already been dead - that part I don't know.

There were always some bees left behind, as well as a partial brood nest, and all the stores. But never the queen - that I saw.

I haven't had an abscond in 3 yrs now.
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