> If a queen flies off while a beekeepers errs in
> introduction (been there, done that), she really
> has nowhere to go and will attempt to enter a hive.

Another "beekeeper error" in requeening happens when
releasing the attendants from the cage.  The goal is
to avoid having to chase the queen around the room.  :)

Given the very compelling work done by Wyatt on queen
introduction techniques and their impact on acceptance
rates, I have been releasing the attendant bees from
the queen cage prior to introduction of the queen.
I assume that others are doing this too.

With the wooden cages, I never released a queen in error when
releasing the attendants.  Never even had to think about it.
It was "easy".

But this is suddenly not as easy as it was in prior years.
Recently, more queen suppliers have started using the
plastic "JZ/BZ" type queen cages
http://www.dave-cushman.net/bee/gif/jzbzcage.gif
rather than the more traditional wooden 3-hole cages.
http://www.dave-cushman.net/bee/gif/benton.gif


  (Thanks to Dave, we have all these nice pictures of
   most every beekeeping toy...)

Releasing the attendants is made more difficult with these
JZ/BZ plastic cages for a number of reasons:

a) The plastic is milky-white "translucent", which makes
   it hard to see the queen before she heads for the
   hole.  With the wooden cages, it is easy to keep an
   eye on the queen.

b) The problem is made worse by the solid cage surface
   (rather than perforated/vented) closest to the holes.
   Several bees, queen included, can be milling around
   in this area at the same time, confusing matters.

c) These cages are difficult to "shade", as they allow
   light in from all angles.  The wooden types are easy
   to shade, yet still point the hole toward a light source.

The upshot of all this is that I have had a number of queens
wander out of their cages and have to be grabbed and put back
in a cage.  Putting them back into a JZ/BZ cage is difficult,
as closing the top on these cages appears to be a two-handed
operation, which allows the queen to run or fly just as one
has her back in the cage.

Does anyone have any great ideas on how to release attendants
from these JZ/BZ cages with style and panache, without releasing
the queen in error, or do we need to demand that queen suppliers
use the wooden type until the makers of the plastic ones start
making them from clear plastic?

Another thing you want to remember is to NEVER try releasing
attendants from plastic cages in a room with a 20-foot ceiling
and a skylight, unless you have a ladder handy for fetching the
queen from guess where, but "beekeeper errors" like these
likely don't happen to the rest of you, do they?  :)

                jim

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