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Subject:
From:
Lloyd Spear <[log in to unmask]>
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Date:
Wed, 26 Sep 2007 12:20:33 -0400
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Waldemar wants to know more about how large commercial pollinators introduce
new queens.

In the spring, when the pollinators are moving hives to new sites every 2-3
weeks, the hives are not usually supered (lots of exceptions, here).  But it
has been found that a queen will not usually bother a queen cell that is
pushed into a frame full of honey.  (She would not have any reason to be on
that frame.)

No, of course, the pollinators cannot and do not mark queens after they
emerge.  They judge whether the new queen has successfully mated and
survived by what happens in the brood nest.  When one 'manages' 1,000-8,000
hives it becomes a 24/7 operation and one knows what is going on almost by
instinct.  Believe me, a hive headed by a new well-mated queen behaves
entirely different than one headed by a hive with a queen that has been
laying for 3-4 months and has endured 3-5 moves.

These guys do things 'by the numbers', and pay little attention to
individual hives.  If their experience says they do better requeening every
3 moves (as an example) they will requeen an entire truckload (or more) on
that schedule, without regard to how individual hives are doing.  If a few
hives do not have their new queen 'take', they catch up at the next
requeening.

-- 
Lloyd Spear
Owner Ross Rounds, Inc.
Manufacture of equipment for round comb honey sections,
Sundance Pollen Traps, and producer of Sundance custom labels.
Contact your dealer or www.RossRounds.com

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