# Removing queen cage?



## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

I would get the cage out as soon as you can. You probably are one frame short and they will try to build a comb on the cage.


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## mfisch (Aug 28, 2007)

Michael Bush said:


> I would get the cage out as soon as you can. You probably are one frame short and they will try to build a comb on the cage.


If the weather permits I'll try tomorrow.

Should I use smoke? How do I get the cluster off the cage without shaking the entire box? I can't remove the bars the cage is connected to.

I suppose I could spray the cluster with sugar and just shake them off and hope they don't all fly away.

I could also cut the twine and let the cage fall, then try to drag it out, I'm worried the entire cluster will leave as I yank the cage. Hopefully they've already released her.

Thoughts appreciated, either way I'll do something.


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## Hambone (Mar 17, 2008)

I didn't use somke. And didn't need to. They are still kinda like a swarm with noting to defend.

Use a soft bristle paint brush to brush them off the cage into the hive. 

Why can't you remove the bars the cage is connected to?

Try to pull the cage out without droping it. 

Don't worry they are not all going to fly away.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>Should I use smoke? 

If you like. It probably won't matter much with a new package.

>How do I get the cluster off the cage without shaking the entire box? I can't remove the bars the cage is connected to.

How is it attached?

>I suppose I could spray the cluster with sugar and just shake them off and hope they don't all fly away.

A soft brush or a bunch of grass will work. Flick them off with a quick movement. The idea is to surprise them before they can hold on.

>I could also cut the twine and let the cage fall, then try to drag it out, I'm worried the entire cluster will leave as I yank the cage. Hopefully they've already released her.

The cluster is not going to leave now that they've been there several days.


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## mfisch (Aug 28, 2007)

mfisch said:


> I have two hived packages about 18 hours old, I just checked and they're clustered around the queen cage. Good, I assume this means they've accepted her.
> 
> I assume they're building comb, and she may or may not be released. Should I leave the queen cage hanging in there all week until my next inspection? I'm worried they'll start building comb down from the twine I'm using the hang the cage (directly between the boards).
> 
> I could get in there right now and let her out and remove the cage, but I didn't want to disturb the cluster (and its a cloudy almost rainy crappy day).


Well, crappy weather but 50% sun. Too cold for flying apparently too, though that didn't stop them once I broke up their cluster. Apparently the paper I used to replace the cork was in too tighly -- they waxed it totally shut trapping the queen. I had to let both of them out myself, I just opened the cages and put the queen/bees inside. Hopefully all is well now.

On a sad note, looks like it frosted last night and not all my bees were in the cluster, there was probably a few hundred from each package who attempted to brave it in the cold, most dead or dying today. Lots of dead bees inside the box too, hopefully they'll clean that out themselves.


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## Hambone (Mar 17, 2008)

They will clean them out. Are you feeding? With the queen released now, you need to put a baggie feeder or something in. Close it up and let them bee for a week. I know you won't wait a week. I don't think any newbee does. But wait at least 3-4 days before you open it up again.


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## mfisch (Aug 28, 2007)

Derek1 said:


> They will clean them out. Are you feeding? With the queen released now, you need to put a baggie feeder or something in. Close it up and let them bee for a week. I know you won't wait a week. I don't think any newbee does. But wait at least 3-4 days before you open it up again.


See my other post: re feeding.

I put in a 4x4' section of old honey comb from the freezer (in each hive). I also put baggie feeders in, though one is leaking. Weather doesn't look good for foraging this week so hopefully they've got enough food.

I had planned to wait a week after they were settled. Yesterday I came back to make sure they accepted the queen, and they had (clustered around her), but I was at a loss as to how/if to remove the cage. Today I removed the cage / released her and took this opportunity to feed them sugar solution (in addition to the honey) as well.

If could check mid-week to ensure the feeder didn't completely leak onto the ground, but if the consensus is a 4x4' square of honey comb will last them a week in no-forage weather I'll wait until this weekend.

Luckily the hives aren't at my house so it's less tempting to peak every day.


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## Hambone (Mar 17, 2008)

They should be fine. On the baggie. The first one I did I pushed the extra air out and it leaked. The 2nd time. I kept it with the extra air in. And it didn't leak. Mine aren't at my house either. Or I probably would be in there everyday.


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## mfisch (Aug 28, 2007)

Derek1 said:


> They should be fine. On the baggie. The first one I did I pushed the extra air out and it leaked. The 2nd time. I kept it with the extra air in. And it didn't leak. Mine aren't at my house either. Or I probably would be in there everyday.


I think the trick here is to have so many hives you couldn't possibly get through them all more than once a week....


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>On a sad note, looks like it frosted last night and not all my bees were in the cluster, there was probably a few hundred from each package who attempted to brave it in the cold, most dead or dying today. Lots of dead bees inside the box too, hopefully they'll clean that out themselves.

Do they have any stores? Cold doesn't kill bees. Starvation does. Lot's? There are always some older bees that die. A handful maybe at first. More than that at one time is not good.


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## mfisch (Aug 28, 2007)

Many of them look old and are dead or dying.

A portion never found their way into the hive and have attempted clustering under the bottom board or in 2's and 3's around the edges. I assume they never found their way in when it got cold, its been a bad week for hiving here, but it is what it is.

There was a cluster of around 100-200 bees that found their way back into the package. Either because they were feeding on sugar spill or because they never found the hive, I was tempted to try to shake them inside but decided it wasn't worth disturbing the main cluster and thought they would find their way in themselves. Yesterday I returned to find most of them in fact decided to brave the cold themselves, they were barely alive and couldn't move. There wasnt much I could do for them so I just left them, they may have died last night it was near frost.

If I had taken them inside and warmed them up do you think they would have been able to find their way home? They didnt when it was warm.


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