David,
 
I read somewhere that Q-banks can be made up in Q right or Q less stocks, and as you pointed
out better success is achieved in Q less stocks.   Perhaps if I can go into more detail:  The bank
was prepared from a sheet of 3/4 inch ply with 1 and 1/2 inch holes bored in it.  The side next
the bees was covered in wire mesh and the other side the holes coverd in see through lids. A
feeder hole was also included in the center to allow feeding of the hive.
 
I know that the normal method is to put the Qs in cages side by side in a frame but in a Q right
colony this can not be done since the colonies Q will attack the queens through the cages unless
excluders are used, hence the reason for my alternative method.   Also, when I was originally
setting this up I  wanted a method of getting at the Qs without having to pull apart a hive.  In the
past I have often placed Qs in cages with no attendants on top of the feed holes of Q right hives
with no problems for short periods while sorting myself out to use them.
 
This board  method has always worked for me, perhaps it is luck.  Its only this season when I
added more Qs at a later date that problems occoured and are repeatable!.   It seems that once
the bank is set up on a hive some other effect is coming into play perhaps a pheromone thing.
Perhaps the bees treat the collective pheromones of the queens as that comming from one Q so
making the bees feel extreamly happy with their *collective Q*. Then,  when more Qs are
added the strange scent/pheomone of the new Qs being in a smaller quanity makes the bees
resentfull of having to accept a strange Q therfore result is non acceptance......  (Perhaps this
could be called reverse supercedure and can only be overcome by adding more Qs to the bank
to overcome the collective effect?   )    I have not tried this method on a Q less stock and it
would be very  interesting to see if the same thing happens?  Perhaps next year this is one to try
.   Can I ask if you have ever had any problems adding Qs to an established Q-bank?
 
Thanks for your reply,
 
Philip Earle.
 
On Wed, 3 Sep 1997 15:55:45 -0500 David Eyre wrote:
>
>
>
> I can see two errors here.
>         Firstly; Queen banks rarely work in a queenright hive. You're lucky
> to have saved the first 12 queens.
>         Secondly; A queen bank should be in the middle of the brood chamber,
> not in a super above.
>         My suggestion. Use or make a queenless hive, after 24 hours add the
> queen bank. No workers, and one queen per cage, the frame to be added
> to the center of the cluster.
>