# Hang the queen?



## Matt903 (Apr 8, 2013)

Do you have any comb left from your hive last year? If you hang the queen from the bar with the comb, they will not cross comb, as long they have that comb as a guide. If you do not have any comb, can you use some starter strips of foundation in your bars? This will also aid them. I would also move the queen back four or five bars and hang her there, not at the front.


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## Thomas Frazier (Aug 25, 2015)

OK so, I haven't tried this method, but I saw it on YouTube so it must be right! The guy hung the queen cage, set the open package in the bottom of the hive (no dumping), and closed up the hive. A few hours later, all the bees had left the package and were clustered around the queen. He removed the empty package, extracted the queen cage from the cluster, and manually released her into the cluster in one quick motion. Then he closed up the hive and was done. They never had time to build any bad comb.

One issue is that the hive body has to be big enough to accommodate the package. I'm not sure it would work in mine.


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## ruthiesbees (Aug 27, 2013)

I would not recommend putting the queen cage on the bottom of a topbar hive. If you have some leftover comb from the other hive, I'd recommend strapping it to one of the topbars with masking tape, making that the first comb and then hanging the queen from the second comb. I've done packages twice in TBH's, but I had a piece of comb each time. I did not start them on the first bar though, but further in. The bees can hang from just the wooden bar, but the comb makes it a bit easier. I've even seen then cluster in the corner where the sides meet the front to get started, but typically it will be around the queen cage.


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## Delta Bay (Dec 4, 2009)

Depends on how long the package of bees and queen have been together in the package. If three days or more you can direct release her. If not do as Wyatt Mangum does. Foundation starter strips and hang the cage well below the starter strips. In three days you can check to see if she has been released or you do it manually.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZe_OtxOz18


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## Rww930 (Mar 14, 2016)

Why not direct release?


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

The danger in laying the cage on the bottom is if the temps drop to 40s F or maybe even 50s F she will be abandoned and die. I would direct release her.


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## Pacnwtbh (Jan 3, 2017)

Is direct release just uncapping the queen cage and letting her figure it out? Or do you literally take her out by hand?


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## Rww930 (Mar 14, 2016)

Not sure if my reply went thru...just open the cage and let her go. You will know quickly whether they want her or not.


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## Slow Drone (Apr 19, 2014)

Rww930 said:


> Not sure if my reply went thru...just open the cage and let her go. You will know quickly whether they want her or not.


No offense but that's haphazard at best. Leave the cage in the hive for 3 days after 3 days pick the cage up and see if the bees are feeding the queen or if they are biting or trying to sting the cage. If the bees are easy to brush off the cage all is good if they stick to the cage like velcro all is not good. If they are feeding the queen and not biting or stinging at the cage carefully pry the screen off the cage while keeping the cage in contact with the top of a frame and watch her walk out and down in between the frames. The Jz Bz cages are easier to do a direct release from just unsnap the cage and watch her walk out. You can also release her directly on brood comb.


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## nediver (May 26, 2013)

Slow Drone said:


> No offense but that's haphazard at best. Leave the cage in the hive for 3 days after 3 days pick the cage up and see if the bees are feeding the queen or if they are biting or trying to sting the cage. If the bees are easy to brush off the cage all is good if they stick to the cage like velcro all is not good. If they are feeding the queen and not biting or stinging at the cage carefully pry the screen off the cage while keeping the cage in contact with the top of a frame and watch her walk out and down in between the frames. The Jz Bz cages are easier to do a direct release from just unsnap the cage and watch her walk out. You can also release her directly on brood comb.


+1


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

She may fly. I would dump the bees in, pop the cork on the queen cage (the open end if there is a candy end, though I haven't seen a three hole Benton cage with candy in two decades now) quickly but gently getting your thumb over the hole and then lay the cage on the bottom. If you have done anything like shake bees off of the cage wait a minute for her to calm down before letting her out. If you lay the cage on the pile of bees she will walk right out onto them. I just leave the cage until I happen to be in the hive.


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## Yunzow (Mar 16, 2017)

I did a modified quick open release of my queen bee. I smeared crystallized raw honey on the open end of the queen cage once I pushed the cork in (was trying to pull it out but it went the other way!) then I put the cage on the bottom board on top of the bees I already dumped on the bottom board. Mind you, I heard from the apiary that the queen had been with the package for two days already AND there were several attendant bees in the cage with her, so I figured there was no issue of them rejecting her.

I'm not sure yet if this was the best thing to do because right now I got a cluster of bees on the right wall of the hive and no comb on bars yet (two days out the last time I checked).


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