# Introducing New Queen



## BroncoVol74

Introduced a new queen to the hive that went queenless about a month ago. I believe the virgin queen just didn't make it back from the mating flight. Anyway, here is a video of what happened when I laid the cage on top of the hive. They seemed to be trying to chew their way through the plastic cage but I could not tell that they were trying to bite the queen.
Is this normal behavior when introducing a queen?


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## frustrateddrone

My recommendation is that you do a manual release. Tape the sugar plug so the bees can't get to chewing the candy and release her prematurely and you end up with a dead queen. 4th day you do a manual release by uncapping the cap and let her walk out. You can wait 5 days if you want. 4 is pretty much a guarantee. Big bee hives typically have too much chewing capability on the short candy plug.


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## BroncoVol74

It is definitely a big hive, 2-10 frame deep with a deep super. I hope she will be okay until tomorrow night. Can't get back in there tonight.


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## Fishmaster50

I put a new queen in a hive Saturday. Was told to leave her in there for 3 days. After that lift her up on top of the frames and brush the bees off. If they come running back wait another 2 days but if they just slowly come back or don't even come back go ahead and take the cap off and let them chew her out. That's what they did so I took off the cap. I'll check back in 2 weeks and hopefully she's laying. The guy I got the queen from told me that. He is a Master Beekeeper.


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## J.Lee

If you have problems with introducing a new queen you may want to consider a push in cage for the introduction. I get the highest acceptance rate with those than anything else. Hope this helps.


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## Tenbears

Have you checked to see if you have laying workers. A hive that has been queenless for that length of time has a strong possibility of having a laying worker. In which case all the introduction in the world will not get the hive to accept the queen until you suppress the laying workers.


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## twgun1

Tape end shut and manual release in 3-4 days+ if they haven't chewed thru the candy and offed her Already. They don't like her.


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## BroncoVol74

J.Lee said:


> If you have problems with introducing a new queen you may want to consider a push in cage for the introduction. I get the highest acceptance rate with those than anything else. Hope this helps.


This is what I will probably try if they still seem little aggressive tomorrow.



Tenbears said:


> Have you checked to see if you have laying workers. A hive that has been queenless for that length of time has a strong possibility of having a laying worker. In which case all the introduction in the world will not get the hive to accept the queen until you suppress the laying workers.


I have checked the hive and there are no eggs that I could see.


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## Bkwoodsbees

Read the sticky from Harry Vanderpool successful queen introduction in the queen breeding section. I follow his instructions to a T . I have introduced 50 queens since he posted with 100 percent success.


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## BroncoVol74

Bkwoodsbees said:


> Read the sticky from Harry Vanderpool successful queen introduction in the queen breeding section. I follow his instructions to a T . I have introduced 50 queens since he posted with 100 percent success.


I read Harry's sticky and that is what I have done. The only thing that is different for mine is that they have been queenless for almost a month and there is no brood to hang the cage between. The bees seemed to be extremely "interested" in getting the queen out of the that cage.


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## BroncoVol74

Full disclosure. This is the hive I am trying to introduce the queen to.
http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?328442-They-killed-their-queen!


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## sakhoney

looks like to me there trying to feed her through the cage - they really don't look worked up


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## Charlestonbee

I've had them ball a queen and it's much more aggressive than that. Real real thick with bees that are trying to sting queen and latch on and smother her. You will def be able to tell the difference. I agree w sakhoney. I thought they were feeding her but was waiting for someone else to say it. I also suggest doing as backwoods stated. I too have used harryvanderpool method to a T and have 100% acceptance on the 20 or so queens I introduced like that.


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## BroncoVol74

sakhoney said:


> looks like to me there trying to feed her through the cage - they really don't look worked up


Thanks, I didn't really get the feeling they were trying to ball her but I just wanted to get more experienced opinions. They were definitely chewing at the cage though. Is that normal? There is also 3 attendants in there with her.



Charlestonbee said:


> I've had them ball a queen and it's much more aggressive than that. Real real thick with bees that are trying to sting queen and latch on and smother her. You will def be able to tell the difference. I agree w sakhoney. I thought they were feeding her but was waiting for someone else to say it. I also suggest doing as backwoods stated. I too have used harryvanderpool method to a T and have 100% acceptance on the 20 or so queens I introduced like that.


As of right now I've done exactly as spelled out in Harry's sticky. Fingers crossed.


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## sakhoney

them chewing at the cage is them trying to release her


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## Bkwoodsbees

If you have another hive ,I would take a frame of capped brood and put in center of hive with queen cage . If you have more hives 2 frames of capped.brood would be even better. If you have already placed cage in and shut it up don't open the hive for a week or so. Good luck, it should go well.


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## RayMarler

May I assume that you imply the hive has been queenless for almost a month and is hopelessly queenless as well, meaning they absolutely have not created a virgin queen and there is no brood to make a queen from?

For a hive being queenless for a month those bees on the top bars are not acting like it with that queen there in the cage. If they wanted a queen, they'd all be nasonoving and facing the queen cage and heading in her direction, and they are not doing that. That tells me they do not want a queen. The bees on the cage look a little aggressive to me, how hard was it to remove them from the queen cage with a light touch of your finger?

That was a pretty close up video and short of time to make a good guess as to what the conditions of that hive are. Keep in mind, they must want a queen in order for a queen to be introduced successfully.


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## BroncoVol74

Ray,
Yes, they have been queenless for a month and hopelessly queenless now. That video was shot when I very first set the cage on the frames. After about 2-3 minutes the cage was covered in bees and to they would not come off the cage with light touching.


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## heaflaw

A few years ago Mike Palmer had a great post on this subject, but I can't find it now.


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## BroncoVol74

I don't know if it matters but I left the attendants in the cage with the queen.
Could the bees aggressiveness be at those attendants?
Should I have taken the attendants out first?


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## Billboard

I believe it helps removing the attendants others say no. Its kinda late now to change things up. The more you go back and bother them the more likely they will not accept her.


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## RayMarler

BroncoVol74 said:


> Ray,
> Yes, they have been queenless for a month and hopelessly queenless now. That video was shot when I very first set the cage on the frames. After about 2-3 minutes the cage was covered in bees and to they would not come off the cage with light touching.


Yes, as I thought, that hive doesn't like that queen in the cage. I think removing attendants is the better way to do it, but leaving them in usually works. If a hive is queenless for too long of a time, it becomes difficult to requeen it. I would suggest giving them a frame of open larva and placing the queen cage on that frame when introducing her. I would also keep that candy hole corked until you see them change their attitude to actually wanting a queen.

Here is a link to video with explanation of caged queen acceptance by Michael Palmer...
Well, he's talking about checking for a queenless or queenright hive, but same applies to queen acceptance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RX3BgnOkozs

I am _guessing_ that you have one of two things happening there, either your hive has a virgin, or they are getting ready to be laying worker.


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## RayMarler

Here are a couple more vids of Michael Palmer releasing queens from push in cages in hives. Very informative, you may wish to watch them...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvtuR_8sgvI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oYzD_u2Yos

Both videos are short, about 3 1/2 minutes, well worth the time to watch them both.


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## BroncoVol74

RayMarler said:


> Here are a couple more vids of Michael Palmer releasing queens from push in cages in hives. Very informative, you may wish to watch them...
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvtuR_8sgvI
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oYzD_u2Yos
> 
> Both videos are short, about 3 1/2 minutes, well worth the time to watch them both.


I've watched all his videos I could find about "queens" and I'm pretty sure I am still about as sure about what to do as I was before I ever had bees.:scratch:
I took a peek in there just a bit ago and they will be through the candy plug tonight more than likely. Should I go back and plug the hole tonight?!


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## BroncoVol74

So I have been talking with Ray Marler and this is where I am.
Since they would have been through the candy plug tonight (probably within the hour) and I didn't feel as though they were being very receptive to her and after discussing it with Ray I decided to plug the hole (I didn't have anything to plug the hole so I just put her and the attendants in a capped roller cage) grabbed a frame with some brood from another hive and hung the cage next to it. I will give it about 3-4 days and see how they are acting toward her.
Here is the video of what happened as soon as I laid the cage on top of the frames.


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## BroncoVol74

So update on the queen introduction. I took the attendants out of the cage and let them go on top of the hive. The bees didn't seem to care too much and were not attacking them so I took that as a good sign. I put the queen back in the cage with a candy plug and this evening I found this...



Success!!!!!


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## WWBee

her majesty has arrived great vid


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## RayMarler

You did good, they seem to like her. Just in time for her to lay up a storm to build up some young winter bees. Check the hive for pollen and nectar stores, you might need to feed some.


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## BroncoVol74

Ray,
Thanks again for all your help. They have an entire 10 deep honey super and there is also frames of pollen and nectar in the brood boxes.


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