# Video of Queen Acceptance - Ready or Not Ready?



## Tomson (Feb 9, 2015)

Hi,

I have made a split and put it queenless hive right next to the queen right hive. I put a queen cage in between frames two days ago and checked today. This is the first time that I have used a bought queen. I bought two queens and put one in a split from a calm hive and today they all seemed to be matter o'fact and were visibly feeding her. So I removed the cork, poked a hole in the candy and put the cage back in. The second split was from a hot hive that is place 8 inches from the hive and queen that they came from.

So to me it looked like they are not ready for her and may actually be trying to ball her. I was told to look for them trying to sting her with buts down, dont see that. But I was also told that when it looks like they are hanging on like velcro that that is a no go / wait longer also. What do more experienced eyes see? 

Here is the video:

https://youtu.be/fbugSZa80LU


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## Freemind777 (Nov 23, 2014)

I agree, the video looks to me like they have not accepted her yet.


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## RayMarler (Jun 18, 2008)

From what I've seen, hot hives are not so easy to re-queen. If they have any viable young larva or eggs to make a queen of their own, that is what they will do and will kill any queen you try to give them. I don't think those bees like that queen in the cage yet from what I see in your video. I suggest you check through that hive and destroy any queen cells. It may take as long as 8-10 days before they accept your caged queen, after all possible choices from their own larva are too old. Keep checking every couple days and keep destroying any queen cells you see they start. Once they are hopeless to make a queen from their own blood, then they will accept the introduced queen, not before. Meaner bees go by the old saying that "blood is thicker than water".


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## drlonzo (Apr 15, 2014)

Don't look to me like they are being aggressive at all toward her. No stinging, and biting. Seems accepted to me.


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## Tomson (Feb 9, 2015)

RayMarler said:


> From what I've seen, hot hives are not so easy to re-queen. If they have any viable young larva or eggs to make a queen of their own, that is what they will do and will kill any queen you try to give them. I don't think those bees like that queen in the cage yet from what I see in your video. I suggest you check through that hive and destroy any queen cells. It may take as long as 8-10 days before they accept your caged queen, after all possible choices from their own larva are too old. Keep checking every couple days and keep destroying any queen cells you see they start. Once they are hopeless to make a queen from their own blood, then they will accept the introduced queen, not before. Meaner bees go by the old saying that "blood is thicker than water".


Holly Molly, 8 - 10 days. How long can a queen live in the cage? There are about 5 attendant bees.


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## rbees (Jun 25, 2012)

There is some aggressiveness, not a lot. A couple more days


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## tech.35058 (Jul 29, 2013)

Tomson said:


> Holly Molly, 8 - 10 days. How long can a queen live in the cage? There are about 5 attendant bees.


one guy was saying he forgot & left queen in the cage a month, & it was ok.
be mentally prepared, the bees may let her out & then when she has laid a frame or two, supercede her.
Good luck with your bees ... CE


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## RayMarler (Jun 18, 2008)

I didn't see any bees nasanov fanning in the video, and the bees looked pretty tight on the cage. It can be hard to tell from a video though, so maybe I'm wrong. I do know that meaner bees are quite often harder to re-queen. And even if they are not mean, some hives re-queen easier than others. The trick is to get them into the situation where they really want a queen.

If the old queen laid eggs the day you killed her or split off from her, then it takes 3 days for that last laid egg to become a lava, and a queen can be made up to three days old larva. Granted, and 3 day old larva probably won't make much of a queen, but I think it can be done. So anyway, that's 6 days from when you made the split that they can be making a queen from their own blood. So by the 7th day or later, making sure all queen cells are destroyed, they would be more willing to accept her. I can never find wild queen cells on a comb when they are only a day old or maybe even two days old, so that makes it at least 8-9 days for me to make sure no wild queen cells are there or can be made. That's why I said above 8-10 days.


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## Brad Bee (Apr 15, 2013)

I haven't put many caged queens in my hives. Maybe 10 or so, but I can say I have not seen any bees act like that on a cage that I put in any of my hives.

Except for one exception, I have only put caged queens in with weak splits. I have had no problems at all with putting a caged queen in a 2 frame split. If you have a nuc box, pull 2 frames of those bees and put them in it. Leave her out of the nuc for a couple hours, then put her back in, still in the cage. I may be wrong but I think they'll accept her. Once she's out and laying for a few days, do a newspaper combine with the rest of the hive.

Might work, might not, but I think if that queen is released with the response those bees are giving, she'll be balled.


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## My-smokepole (Apr 14, 2008)

They can live for a long time in a cage. But a it is hard on them. B: if there is a queen in the hive that you plan on keeping they need to be keep separate. Like a queen exstder and a couple spacers so that nurse bee can feed the bank queens


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## Tomson (Feb 9, 2015)

RayMarler said:


> I didn't see any bees nasanov fanning in the video, and the bees looked pretty tight on the cage. It can be hard to tell from a video though, so maybe I'm wrong. I do know that meaner bees are quite often harder to re-queen. And even if they are not mean, some hives re-queen easier than others. The trick is to get them into the situation where they really want a queen.
> 
> If the old queen laid eggs the day you killed her or split off from her, then it takes 3 days for that last laid egg to become a lava, and a queen can be made up to three days old larva. Granted, and 3 day old larva probably won't make much of a queen, but I think it can be done. So anyway, that's 6 days from when you made the split that they can be making a queen from their own blood. So by the 7th day or later, making sure all queen cells are destroyed, they would be more willing to accept her. I can never find wild queen cells on a comb when they are only a day old or maybe even two days old, so that makes it at least 8-9 days for me to make sure no wild queen cells are there or can be made. That's why I said above 8-10 days.


Well I looked today. They were much calmer than yesterday. I found about 7 queen cells. Some were nice starts full of Royal Jelly, destroyed them all (shame) I have a good feeling that another day or two minus the QC that they may take her. I'll look again for QC and than after that there should not be any eggs or larva old enough to make more. Fingers crossed.


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## RayMarler (Jun 18, 2008)

Now that sounds good. It should work out fine so long as you get all the queen cells destroyed. Next time you check, shake all the bees off every frame to make sure you see any queen cells they may have started, to be sure you destroy them all. You will notice a change in the way they pay attention to the queen in the cage, once they are ready to accept her.


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

I'm with Ray on this. Too many bees and too tight on the cage. 

Have you considered using a push-in cage?


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## Tomson (Feb 9, 2015)

Michael Palmer said:


> I'm with Ray on this. Too many bees and too tight on the cage.
> 
> Have you considered using a push-in cage?


This was a purchased Q and this is how she came, in a 3 hole. Do you switch the queen and bees into a push in cage? Again they are more mellow this last check. Today I expect that they will be even more chill and hopefully feeding after losing all the QC. I will check again, and am thinking that I will pop the cork on the candy side if no more QC and all looks good, giving her about another day or so before she would be joining the hive. What do you think? This would be 5 days. Thanks Mike.


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## jwcarlson (Feb 14, 2014)

Don't look ready to my newb eyes. Ask yourself if you would want bees acting like that when she isn't in the cage the answer is probably no.

Here is a video I took in one of my TBHs that was queenless. That was first meeting of that caged queen. 
Queenless much?: https://youtu.be/l-FTKyyy0e8


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