Inspecting Splits

[djgriggs]

I started with two Hives on April 29th. The two Hives became 5, "3" splits 2 8 frame boxes and 1 10 frame..

All splits had new young queens , turns out that some did not make it back from the mating flight ( Well this is what I keep telling myself )  out of the two 8 frame splits one had a young mated queen that looks to be doing well. The other well over the weeks there were always multiple eggs in a cell. I am talking 3 / 6 etc. Just in case it was a young queen , which I could never find I waiting a few weeks. I then last two weeks ago I opened up this hive and noticed no queen but a worker ass end in a cell. I took that as a sure sign that all the eggs were from a laying worker (good or bad) I took the hive and merged it with my good 8 frame split that had a young mated Queen. Inspected this hive yesterday and all looks well. Spotted eggs in a frame in the merged section of the hive and spotted the Queen in lower box, however I can never seem to capture her to mark her, but then again I give up due to not wanting to cause stress  .

Now when I inspected the 10 frame box.. They appeared calm, so I thought I may have a queen.. One could not be found. I did see larva but if I remember correctly I do not recall any eggs. I do However recall that the only capped comb that I had seen was all drone. This was spotty at best.. I am suspecting that this hive is without queen , 3  / 4 weeks ago this hive had a newly emerged young queen. No more. I am wondering if I take a frame of eggs and insert into the hive will this work for the current bees to make there new queen ?

Thank you for your time

[rockink]

If they are queenless they will make a queen with that frame. If they are queenright they will just raise that brood.

Within a week or so you can check that frame and if there are queen cells you will know.

Good luck!

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[BeeMaster2]

Adding a frame of eggs and brood is always good insurance for a questionable hive. The open brood stops laying workers from developing and provides for making a new queen if needed.
Jim

[djgriggs]

currently I am still having an issue trying to mark the Queen.. I am wanting to mark for a few reasons most of which is for ease of spotting and the other is to track if she is replaced.

I have tried to grab ( afraid to squeeze her ) I have tried to cup her. no luck so I give up as I am afraid that I may cause stress.

any thoughts / recommendations.

[rockink]

Practice marking Drones until your comfortable with the queen.

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[djgriggs]

    good idea that never crossed my mind. Fortunately I have access to hundreds.

[BeeMaster2]

X2 on practicing on drones.
I recommend you get a One-handed Queen catcher. They are easy and safe to use. If you get one, again, practice on drones.
Jim

[BeeMaster2]

Here is a link.
https://www.mannlakeltd.com/one-handed-queen-catcher
Jim

[djgriggs]

Here is a link.
https://www.mannlakeltd.com/one-handed-queen-catcher
Jim

Thank you for the link. will order ASAP

[BeeMaster2]

 

[Van, Arkansas, USA]

Hello Mr. Griggs.  A lot of folks like to mark the queen, I do not.  Very rare for me to mark a queen, the only reason is I don?t won?t to take a chance on hurting the queen.  I agree a slim chance it is, but my experience is ANY damage to a queen is permanent.  I realize a new beekeeper wants to easily spot the queen, but sounds like you very good at spotting this queen so why take a chance.

I do catch queens with my bare hands or nitrile gloves to give to beeks, so a little advice: always hold the queen by her thorax, her chest, never her head nor abdomen.

NEVER handle 2 queens with the same glove/hand.  The first queen that touches the glove will leave her scent, the second queen detects this queen scent and will sting your glove or hand.  I have not had a queen sting my hand why I pick one up and I cannot answer why.

One last note, Griggs you combined a laying worker hive with a queen right hive.  Don?t do this, you take a chance the laying workers, false queens, or her associates  will kill the queen in the queen right hive.  Sounds like your combine worked though consider yourself lucky.
Blessings

[Michael Bush]

>NEVER handle 2 queens with the same glove/hand....

I think this is possible, Jay Smith documents getting stung by a queen when he was disposing of queens by squishing them on his pants.  But I often catch a lot of queens one after another and have never been stung by a queen.

[Van, Arkansas, USA]

Yes, MB, I am sure a person could get away with it.  But just wait till your stung by a queen on the finger tip, the stinger is barbless so it happens so fast.  I always hold queens with my finger tips, just once will learn ya.  But good to know maybe it?s rare to be stung after handling two queens.

[Michael Bush]

Jay says he was only stung once by a queen and he handled thousands per year.

Andy Nachbau said:

"BTW Queens do sting, they have a stinger without barbs so they can sock it too you repeated times and it hurts on tender tissue such as the inside of the mouth. QUEENS SHOULD NEVER BE CARRIED INSIDE THE MOUTH! And especially eight of ten young mated queens at a time, as they do sting and it hurts and it?s hard to spit out those $5 bills and risk harming them or having them fly back to the nucs and having to catch them next go around. I won?t bore all again with the details of how I came to do such unsophisticated bee tests, but it was not for science, had more to do with the fun of being a commercial beekeeper in a commercial beekeeping community, a hot late spring afternoon and helping an old friend catch queens. Maybe those queens beekeepers find once in awhile with what looks like bites taken out of them are from other old bee breeders who carry their extra queens around in their mouths? But for sure queen bees normally do not sting people, and even many bee breeders have never been stung by a queen bee, but they can sting. Same as the so called stingless bees such as the leaf cutters..but that?s another story, the ?killer leaf cutter bees? that I will save for another time."

https://beesource.com/point-of-view/andy-nachbaur/fascinating-facts-about-bees/