# Split queens moving back to original colony



## Dragonfly130 (Dec 12, 2008)

I see a lot of advice on here for beeks when doing splits to move their original queen into a new nuc at another location.


I was just wondering how many have seen their old queen go back to the original colony in the same yard when moved into a split? Also what age queens if you remember and introduced or home raised?


I have seen this several times and had one do it this week on me even though I knew better than to try keeping her.


Almost lost my new intro queen, but caught it just in time as she hadn't come out of the cage yet although, the candy was gone and the old queen was back.Talk about just in the nick of time or maybe the new queen is one of them there SMaRt queens as she stayed in the cage! Old queen got pinched on the spot and some quick candy made up to replug the release hole saved my new smart queen.I checked back today and the new queen is out laying and doing well.She's not actually an SMR queen but she's pretty darn lucky.


The old queen that moved back was raised in the original colony this year and as a virgin, killed an intro queen this spring.Beek Error as I had that colony noted as having queen cells a week or so earlier!:doh: She almost had her second one.Having gone on her mating flight from that colony she know where her hive was and wasn't having any parts of that small nucleus colony although she did do some laying in the nuc before she left.


I haven't kept records of it in the past so I'm not sure if only first year queens would do this but I highly doubt introduced queens would as they may not know where home is having not gone on a mating flight from it.Purely speculation though as I haven't kept records when I've seen this in the past.


Also this was not a virgin but a huge egg laying machine.Just too defensive for my liking and the only reason I wanted to keep her was to hang onto some of my original stock as they survive without any intervention on my part.Oh well all new stock now, much gentler,more conservative and better honey producers.


t: Her colony would have made for a great study on these shorts and t-shirt only beeks though.I have a feeling they can run faster than the rest of us!opcorn:
Sorry could'nt resist that one. I remember my first hive when I was twelve years old. I was impressing everyone brushing the bee's off the feeder jar with no protection until the time when that starline queen kicked into high gear.I used to be able to run pretty fast too! 

I'll bet I just made some friends!:lookout:

Looking forward to other's experience's with queens going back to the original colony.


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