On 27 Nov 97 at 11:48, Paul Cronshaw, D.C. wrote:
 
> I have picked up 2 late swarms and want to combine them.
>
> However I want to bank the queens to have them on hand for bee
> removal jobs (Bait hive technique)
>
> Is it better to put one in a cage and let one roam freely laying
> eggs or to put both in cages?
>
> I understand that queens can be banked for up to a month.
 
Cage both, or the free one will spend most of her time trying to get
at the caged one. Plus of course the bees will resent the second
caged queen and again try to ball her. This accounts for missing feet
etc. with incorrect queen banking.
        It is advisable to add brood after 2 weeks, or the hive will go into
decline and without direction the workers will start to drift.
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The Bee Works, 9 Progress Dr, Unit 2,
Orillia, Ontario, L3V 6H1
Phone/fax  705-326-7171
David Eyre, Owner.
http://www.muskoka.net/~beeworks
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