The queen confining cages are well designed but are very expensive especially with the cost of postage to New Zealand and our low dollar.
AzBz cages can be used for the same purpose. Just remove a piece of plastic at the bottom so bees can attend to the queen.
AliExpress from China has queen confining cages under bee queen cages. 20 for just a few dollars. These expand out to double the size but are not as durable as the European model. For instance the end came off a cage in my top pocket and off went the queen.
You must also be careful when releasing the queen. Being light she is apt to fly upon being released.
When a queen flys after being disturbed, leave the hive open for half an hour and she will generally return.
It’s a very poor honey crop in most areas of New Zealand. With La Nino we have had wet and windy conditions from the start of spring to December. Manuka flowered well but no crop for most but it could be good for clover if it dries out.
Frank Lindsay
NZ
Sent from my iPhone
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