Queen introduction

[Mellifera Crofter]

Following on from discussions below - can somebody perhaps explain the Taber/Albert Knight/John Dews Method of queen introduction, as described on David Cushman's site? (I found this as a follow-on from a link Gavin posted earlier.)

David Cushman says, "No workers in the cage of course, and no candy. ... The queen will be fed, but until the workers show signs that they are no longer aggressive towards the queen she is not allowed to be released." He says the queen can be kept in this cage for days until the workers are no longer aggressive towards her.

What I don't understand is, if the hive's workers are so aggressive towards her, why do they feed her? As she can be caged up for days, doesn't she need candy and some of her own attendants with her in the cage?

Kitta

[Eric McArthur]

Hi Mell/Kitta
There is a lot of stuff written about queen introduction which should never have seen the light of day! There is no mystery about introducing queens. There are a few basic rules – the most important being:
1 Do not introduce a new queen into a colony unless you are sure the colony is indeed queenless!
2 Next - match the queen conditions – a laying queen must be replaced by another laying queen. A virgin will usually be killed.
3 A postal queen should be introduced initially to a nucleus (perhaps 2/3 frame one). Once she is accepted and laying a good brood pattern, she can be introduced by uniting the nucleus colony to the ’accepting’ colony or removed form the nuc and caged then introduced.
4 Queen introduction cages fall into the same category as the “what type of hive” argument – each to his/her own. I bred and sold hundreds of queen bees and nucleus colonies up until Varroa was located in Devon in 1992. I raised perfectly good queens in 4 – frame nucleus colonies and transferred them to strong colonies, replacing my own queens every year – using a “Relay Re-queen System”. The new queen is placed in a PULP matchbox with some half dozen attendants and inserted into the ‘accepting’ colony simultaneously with the ‘old’ queen being removed. That is one in – one out! Within a few hours a small pile if shredded matchbox would appear at the hive entrance. I would leave the new queen to settle for about a week and then enter the colony to check progress. I can honestly say ‘hand on heart’ that my queen introduction rate was in the high 90’s year on year for over 25 years. The matchbox has to be open a slit – just enough for a proboscis to poke through. The bees do the rest.

[Mellifera Crofter]

Eric,

Thanks for the reply. I am particularly taking note of points 2 and 3. I am expecting a virgin AMM queen by post next spring or summer, and I don't want to lose her - which is why I was interested in the method Cushman describes.

Thanks,
Kitta

[Jon]

If you remove a queen and wait for 5 or 6 days until there are sealed queen cells they should accept anything they are offered.

[Eric McArthur]

Jon wrote:
If you remove a queen and wait for 5 or 6 days until there are sealed queen cells they should accept anything they are offered.
............................................
Eric wrote:
As Alice once said “It gets curiouser and curiouser”.
Can you point me in that direction – in the literature?

The famous Dr Miller and Berhard Möbus, both advocated that: and I quote „A colony of honey bees which has bee queenless for some 9 days will accept a new queen without demur.”
As a successful bee breeder of many years standing – I would not dare to contradict such “eminents”, however with a little savvy and a trusty PULP matchbox the job can, and has been done many times - in minutes!

Eric
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[Latouv]

[QUOTE=Eric McArthur;3978]Jon wrote:
If you remove a queen and wait for 5 or 6 days until there are sealed queen cells they should accept anything they are offered.
............................................
Eric wrote:

"The famous Dr Miller and Berhard Möbus, both advocated that: and I quote „A colony of honey bees which has bee queenless for some 9 days will accept a new queen without demur.”

I am about to receive new queens from Germany (personal delivery to the South of France by the breeder who leaves nucs here over the winter) and she also advocates 9 queenless days - there will obviously be sealed cells in the hives when that time comes - do they have to be destroyed BEFORE introducing the cage? Or do the bees destroy them once they realise there is a queen in the hive? PS - Had many an instructive evening with Bernard Möbus when he came to the Moray Beekeepers' Association some 30-35 years ago.