# Glass-bulb queen catcher



## Tara (Jun 17, 2010)

I saw one for sale on a foreign website. It was basically a half-sphere of clear glass maybe the diameter of a golf ball, with a tapered stem rising from the bulb, making a hollow tube probably about 4 inches long. 

The idea was that since bees always crawl uphill, you put the bulb over the queen with the end of the tube in your queen cage, and let her crawl right in along with a few assistants. It seemed like a great idea to me, but I can't find any US suppliers with them. Does anyone know where I could get one?

.....____ 
.....|\ ....\____________
.....| |.... ___________/
.....|_/__/

Thanks!


----------



## SPRUCE BEE (Mar 14, 2009)

The BeeWorks in Canda carries them.

SPRUCE BEE


----------



## BeeRay (Apr 12, 2006)

http://www.beeworks.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=10&products_id=130


----------



## PCM (Sep 18, 2007)

This item as been discussed on the bee forums before;

The general thought was, don't let the drug police catch you with a glass pipe like that !   

:lookout: PCM


----------



## fuzzybeekeeper (Nov 23, 2005)

I have two that I bought 3 or 4 years ago. (I'm a gadget guy!) I don't remember where from but it was from somewhere in the US.

Besides the bees crawling "uphill", you can breath in the large end of the tube and your breath will cause the bees to crawl away.

I think they would work well except that the small end of the glass tube is slightly larger than the opening in a wooden queen cage. There is no way to keep the two together unless you just physically hold them together. They slip apart and the the queen either flys away or can't get into the cage because it is not lined up with the hole. 

I was very dissapointed in what could have been a good idea if the small end of the tube would fit inside of the hole in the cage. I have not tried it with the new plastic queen cages.

Besides that, I am always worried that it will break in my "tool box".

Fuzzybeekeeper


----------



## RDY-B (May 20, 2007)

I bought one from Beeworks -but it is made of glass-
so of course used it once and it fell out of my pocket and broke :doh:
so i found one at swienty-but they would not ship that small order to USA
so i found one at thorne and they shipped it no problem-and the ones they offer in europe-swienty and thorn are plastic and dont break  its a cool gadget 
that is unique -and yes they hold up to there claim and work like a charm
 RDY-B


----------



## Eduardo Gomes (Nov 10, 2014)

The Iberian peninsula Bee is a defensive bee. For this reason we have to work with leather gloves. Catching queens with these gloves is a very delicate and risky exercise. I saw that this tool can help me. I would like to hear the opinion about it from those who have used it. Thank U.


----------



## TxGypsy (Mar 17, 2012)

Thank you for posting about this! I haven't really thought about selling queens individually because I didn't feel comfortable grabbing them...ever since that one golden beauty got away and flew from the tip of my finger and up into the top of an oak tree. I'll be ordering some shortly!


----------



## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

I think I have two of them. I admit, though, I never use them. It's easier to just catch the queen and run her in the cage... I know it's intimidating, but if you practice on drones until it's second nature you'll find it to be much easier and simpler.


----------



## tefer2 (Sep 13, 2009)

https://www.kelleybees.com/Shop/21/Queens-Bees/Queen-Rearing/4194/Queen-Pipe-Catcher


----------



## TxGypsy (Mar 17, 2012)

Michael Bush said:


> I think I have two of them. I admit, though, I never use them. It's easier to just catch the queen and run her in the cage... I know it's intimidating, but if you practice on drones until it's second nature you'll find it to be much easier and simpler.


Mostly I want it for the attendants that need to go in the cage with her  I went 20 years without getting stung and I still don't like it. During normal manipulations I rarely get stung, but they tend to get a bit irritated with me when I start trying to put them into a queen cage.

Thanks for the link Tefer2!


----------



## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

If you don't want to grab attendants with your fingers, get a pair of tweezers. Look for a bee with her head in a cell and grab her wings with the tweezers. Holding her with the tweezers push her head in the cage and she will see the queen and run in.


----------



## TxGypsy (Mar 17, 2012)

Good tip!


----------



## RayMarler (Jun 18, 2008)

A couple of good Michael Palmer videos that show how to catch and hold and mark queens...

Queens have handles...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EMhmfvHKFg

Marking queens...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2tSkW9YuHY


----------



## Eduardo Gomes (Nov 10, 2014)

Thank you for your tips. However working with bare hands with iberiensis is for very few. I and most beekeepers of my country do not dare. About the instrument in question would I like to know the opinion of the wearer, if anyone. In the event of no opinions 'll buy it and try it.


----------



## beemandan (Dec 5, 2005)

Michael Bush said:


> It's easier to just catch the queen and run her in the cage... I know it's intimidating, but if you practice on drones


Every time I try to push a drone through that small opening....he get's smushed. What am I doing wrong?


----------



## tommyt (Aug 7, 2010)

beemandan said:


> Every time I try to push a drone through that small opening....he get's smushed. What am I doing wrong?


 Turn him around


----------



## Redneck (Oct 2, 2005)

Walter Kelley sells these glass bulbs for catching queens.


----------



## pahammer (Oct 8, 2012)

Glass Queen Catcher

http://www.beeworks.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=130


----------

