Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

ocba - Re: [ocba] Fallen queen

ocba AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Orange County, NC Beekeepers

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: Walter Starks <walterstarks AT icloud.com>
  • To: Marty Hanks <marty AT justbeenc.com>
  • Cc: Daniel Kenan <dan.kenan AT gmail.com>, ocba <ocba AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [ocba] Fallen queen
  • Date: Sun, 30 Aug 2015 19:18:59 -0400

I know I hate it when my beers get squished. :D
___________________

Walter Starks
walterstarks AT icloud.com



> On Aug 30, 2015, at 6:59 PM, Marty Hanks <marty AT justbeenc.com> wrote:
>
> Great post Daniel,
>
> This happens more than folks know. They usually get stepped on by over
> eager beekeepers going in all the time. I know I've done it! 😣
>
> It is why I no longer hold a frame out away from the open hive body. I
> always hold it over the hive in case she falls...she'll just land on the
> top frames or other bees and crawl back in.
>
> Secondly, to reduce this experience and to still reach my goal of accessing
> a healthy hive I do not look for her. Just her work- eggs & larvae. My
> second bit of advise is to remind folks to start removing frames from the
> outside first and work inward. Frame holders are a god send. Holding 2
> frames outside of hive body area frees up room to work without doing the
> second most harmful thing to queens and other beers...not squishing them.
> Tight frames glued in is a good way to roll a queen and kill her.
>
> So those are my tips to keep a happy hive.
> Always inspect frame carefully over the hive body. Store one frame outside
> (#10). Then work slowly inward. Just going in far enough to confirm WORK
> from a queen. Then I get out and let them be bees!
>
> Marty
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
>> On Aug 30, 2015, at 2:14 PM, Daniel Kenan <dan.kenan AT gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> While checking our hive today, I pulled out a frame containing our queen.
>> While admiring her, she fell to the ground and was lost in the leaf
>> litter. It took a long while to find her, and I was eventually able to
>> reinstate her into the hive. But the experience did make me wonder, what
>> would happen if I hadn't noticed her falling off the frame? Would she have
>> found her way back inside? How much queen loss could be related to
>> careless handling of frames? Thanks, Dan
>> _________________________________________
>> ocba mailing list | North Carolina Beekeeping| http://www.theocba.org/
>> Manage Your Subscription: http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/ocba/
> _________________________________________
> ocba mailing list | North Carolina Beekeeping| http://www.theocba.org/
> Manage Your Subscription: http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/ocba/





Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page