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Fra:    Computer Software Solutions Ltd[SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
Sendt:  29. september 1997 22:03
Til:    [log in to unmask]
Emne:   Acceptance of new queen
 
This is my first year with bees.
 
 
Afterwards I was told by a beekeeper that I should have stayed away from the
hive for 6 days, otherwise the bees might reject the queen.
 
So now I just have to wait until I return from my vacation on 17Th October
to see have I a problem.
 
My question is this: Are the bees not behaving against their own interests
by killing the queen?
 
No they are very rational, but introducing a new queen demands some caretaking from your side.(remember, you have disturbed their home, and they have besides accepting a new queen also to start reparing the damage you have done to their home) Your information is not that godd that I can tell you what you did wrong, but I can give you some hints that I use myself, with good results.
 
When you get a new queen, you mostly will be adwised in advance that the queen is on its way, so that you will be there to pick the queen up from the post. The day before you want to add the new queen you remove the Old queen by simpel killing her, and let the dead queen left in the hive. The bees will then remove the dead queen from the hive , like they remove any other trash from it. But reardles of in what way,you are reciveing the new queen , this queen killing should be done the day before You want to add the new queen.
 
What now goes on in the hive is that when the feronomon production stops,  they get prepared to make a new quen, from one or more eegs in the brood chamber. and of course they get into a kind of panic.
 
the next day uou intoduce the new queen.
 
Some people are using a kind of a queen introducer. I am crafting a little cornet out of a little peace of newspaper about Ø 3/4 inch and length 2 inches.
in here i with a neadle put some holes. Now When you recive the new queen, you put her into this little cornet and close it, by folding the opening. If you get the queen by mail you can use the little box the queens are shipped in.
 
Now cover the cornet with honey  and place it in the top of the Brood chamber between to frames with a lot of eggs and young larvae. Here you also will find the most nurse bees, that will protect and take care the new queen. Close the hive and let the bees alone for the next week.
 
becouse of the honey you have added to the cornet, the bees will start licking of this and not behave aggressiv. When they get to the cornet they will free the new queen and accept her. But hey will also protect her, and if you open the hive too soon after introducing the new queen, there is a risk that this protection will kill her. It can happen that they will ball her in, and thereby hirt her. and if a queen got damaged in this nesting, they will replace her. Special at this time of the Year this will be catastrophich. 
 
It will always be a good Idea to leave the bees alone as much as possible, and only disturb them when it is absolut needed.
 
Best regards Jorn
 
 
 
If the hive does not have young eggs. they have no means of raising a new
queen. They are thus faced with the prospect of laying workers which can
produce drones only. Are they not thus on their way to extinction?. Can
anybody give the rationale for their action (if that is what they have done).
 
One other question - should I have made the hive queenless some hours or
days  before I introduced the new queen?. I did not do this - I removed the
old queen just a few minutes before I inserted the new one.
 
Thanks for help
 
 
Sincerely
 
Tom Barrett
Computer Software Solutions Ltd
49 South Park
Foxrock
Dublin 18
Ireland
 
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