Allen Dick wrote: > > > > Yup, but I'm not talking about packages here, I am referring to re-queening > or queens introduced to splits. Out of almost every batch (hundreds of > queens), we always find a queen or two that is just running around in her > cage with the entrance hole (pencil size) wide open and with no > obstructions. (Even Auzzie queens have been known to do that here in > Alberta). > Hi Allen and All, I have had the same problem from time to time. I think it is closer to a pheromone problem than anything else. The queens are not balled when let out.You will notice that the queens do not go all over her when she is free for the first time. Bee genetics is complex. So is queen pheromones. It is not just one , but a complex of 5 or more. Mark Winston sent me down his work on queen pheromones two years ago , when we were having trouble with acceptance of Russian queens. ( white line) There is no base line of the queen pheromone. Different races have different complex's. Within the races there are other variables. A good queen ( plenty of Queen pheromones ) will have workers rubbing on her all the time. Plenty of attention by the workers. To prove this out would take a considerable amount of work. Plenty of queens that fit your description would have to be evaluated. For me, I will live with it. I get 1 or 2 out of 100. Maybe. Notice that later season queens have a lessor problem. It can be mating as well. I enjoy beekeeping because you can go as deep as you want and no one has all the answers. It is beyond the human mind. The Best Roy