Bee behaviour interpretation needed

[wheresthedog]

Hi all,

I'm requeening two hives and in each one there is currently a lovely Queen in an introduction cage. They are both feisty hives and wanting to do all I can to ensure success I put them in yesterday without pulling the tab. The website I bought them from recommends leaving them like this for 24 hours to see if the bees are interested but non-agressive.

I went back in just now and the bees have all but sealed both cages in both hives up with wax - they've plugged the plastic mesh. What are they trying to tell me - if this an attempt to entomb the queens and her attendants or something more benign?

I've scrapped off the wax and shut them back up with plastic tabs still in place to await some forum wisdom.

[madasafish]

Check they are not raising QCs... and pull them down if they are.. And check again ..

[wheresthedog]

Thanks for this. I checked and there's no queen cells in either (or any laying workers). There wasn't much wax just little squares of it in each mesh hole but I wasn't expecting to see that which made me think something is awry?

[fatshark]

Are the introduction cages adjacent to a brood frame? I've had them building brace comb near or bridging a cage, but not trying to block the cage. An alternative and effective way to introduce is to use a big square cage of wire mesh, trapping the Q over a patch of emerging brood. This has worked well for me in bad tempered hives. Nicot sell a suitable cage, but you can make one out of OMF-type wire mesh.

[wheresthedog]

Thanks fatshark. I think i'll give that a go though would it matter if the emerging brood was from another colony? I'm thinking if pheromone is an issue to acceptance then brood from queen A with introduced Queen B running all over it in queenless Hive C might make things harder?

[wheresthedog]

IMG_8805.jpg

Went back in this afternoon and they'd filled up the holes again. Think i'll go the queen in under mesh with her attendants on brood route like fatshark suggested.....

(I emailed Michael Bush and he simply said "I don't think they like your queen"

[prakel]

Thanks for this. I checked and there's no queen cells in either (or any laying workers). There wasn't much wax just little squares of it in each mesh hole but I wasn't expecting to see that which made me think something is awry?

There's an old article possibly in the BIBBA 'Bee Improvement' magazine (I think that Dave Cushman may well have been the author although it may even have been Roger Patterson), devoted to this nefarious behaviour. I'm unable to check details at present but will do so as soon as I get chance -unless someone else can post something in the meantime.