Honey Bee Suppliers V&L Honeymakers
Honey Bee Suppliers V&L Honeymakers
PLEASE READ CAREFULLY BEFORE INTRODUCING YOUR NEW QUEEN BEE

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When you receive your new Queen, place one drop of pure water on the outside of the screen of the cage so that the workers can use it to dissolve the candy.  Repeat every day that the cage is not in the hive.  The caged Queen can survive for several days outside of hive but the sooner she is introduced the better.  Keep the cage in a dark place, away from breezes and at room temperature of 20 - 24C.  It is not uncommon for one or more of the worker bees attendants to have died, this is not a problem but make sure that the dead bee(s) are not blocking the entrance to the food compartment.
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The Queen you have received is in a combination shipping and introduction cage. There is no need to remove the worker bee attendants.  At one end of the cage there is a food compartment with sugar candy.  When we send the Queen to you we put masking tape around the food compartment to prevent her from escaping.


IMPORTANT
Avoid keeping Queen cages in any place where pesticides are used (especially “NO PEST STRIPS”).  Also avoid exposing the cage to sunlight.
 
For the hive to receive the Queen, there must be no Queen or queen cells already present. Ideally the hive should be queenless for at least 24 hours prior to introduction.  Two to three litres of sugar syrup given to the hive prior to introduction will allow the Queen a better chance of being accepted.
 
The cage should be placed in the middle of the brood nest.  If no brood is present place the cage in the middle of the cluster.  Position the cage between two frames so that the candy end points upwards.  Squeeze the frames around the cage to firmly suspend it (the bees will repair any damage to the comb once the cage is removed).
 
We would suggest that once you have introduced your new Queen to the colony, you keep her in the cage for 6 - 7 days before releasing her.  This gives the bees enough time for pheromone adjustment.  Before you release her, make sure there are no queen cells present.  There is no need to open the cage to release her, as she could fly away.  Instead: just remove the masking tape from around the food compartment end.  When you put the cage back in, make sure the whole of the candy end is not blocked.
 
The bees in your colony will chew through the candy and release the  new Queen within a few hours.  You can check the cage after four to five days to be sure she has been released. If she has been released and you want to make sure she has been accepted you do not have to find her.  Instead, look for eggs.  The colony should be disturbed as little as possible for the next two weeks while the Queen establishes her brood nest.
 
SAFE INTRODUCTION CANNOT BE GUARANTEED