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Date: | Fri, 22 Jun 2001 07:22:46 -0500 |
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Just an interesting note. After beekeeping for more than ten years and
hearing stories about the new queen bugling I heard it for the first time.
I keep a specimen hive just off my front porch so when I sit and rock, I can
watch the bees. Of all the hives to decide to swarm this year, it was this
one. Last Sunday there was a sudden furor of activity as a swarm came from
the hive and perched forty feet high in a large oak tree. I chose to let it
go. Saddened by the event, I went into the hive to find a half dozen capped
queen cells.
Being so close to the house, I have gone in regularly for the last couple of
days to see how things are developing. Yesterday when I took off the top of
the hive, I heard the usual hum, but also a bugling sound. I followed the
sound as I removed frames until the frame I had in my hand was obviously the
source. With a little study, there she was... my new queen singing to her
subjects.
I watched for a while. She didn't seem to act very regal. I suspect that she
was not yet mated, but she was a great musician. She continued to bugle as I
watched. I suspected that the beating of her wings made the sound, yet I
could not identify any large motion. Nothing like the bees that do the von
Frisch dance on the frames. Perhaps today she goes out to find the drones.
I continue to enjoy my bees and they never cease to show me something new.
Larry Krengel
Marengo, IL USA
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