Today (Saturday June 16th), I approached my Italian hive with a new queen bee in my left pocket, and a pair of needle nosed pliers in my right back pocket. That is, a package for the introduction of new life, and an instrument of pre-meditated murder...(euphemistically called 'culling' instead of murder). I also used a bee smoker today, so it sat beside the hives lit and smoking away. Today, my work was motivated by fear of having a poor queen, so into the Italian hive I went.
Ever watch yourself in a dream? Sometimes there are moments in my life that are similar to this experience, and today was one of them. You see, 10 days ago when I discovered that the Italian hive was without eggs or larva, and that supercedure cells had hatched (meaning a new queen was born), I was content to see the course of nature unfold. The queen would leave the hive within a week of emerging, and in another week will begin to lay eggs. According to this time line, it would be expected that this new queen would be mated and laying eggs in about 14 days. Without giving it the full amount of time required, however, I observed the uneasiness of the bees and made up my mind to get a new queen. I don't know if I did the right thing or not, but I do know that I was motivated by fear of a poorly mated queen.
I do wish that I had let nature do its thing...that I had waited, watched, and learned.
I began working the hives by smoking the entrance and top of the hive. The bees buzzed audibly, and then became quiet. I waited 30 seconds, and when I opened the hive most of the bees had their heads stuck in cells gorging themselves on honey, which calms them down. It also sets the progress of the hive back a few days, so I don't like to do it unless I feel that I need to.
After the bees were calm, I began pulling frames one at a time. I was looking for eggs, and a queen. Most likely the queen would not be laying yet, but I was looking for eggs (easier than finding a queen). The first few frames had none. On the third frame I pulled I saw her, the queen, walking across the comb. I reached into my pocket, pulled the pliers our and unceremoniously grabbed the queen, killing her instantly. I dropped the queen on the ground and with both hands on the frame, began the motion of putting it back into the hive...BUT WAIT!!!!! WAS THAT AN EGGS I JUST SAW???? Sure enough, it was. WHAT HAVE I DONE!? ARGH! I killed a queen that appears to have been properly mated, and was now laying eggs. Right away I regretted not listening to my own inner voice that told me to 'watch and learn as nature does its thing.' Instead, I had listened to others who warned, "Hives that raise their own queen are more aggressive than mated queens of known quality. You'll be sorry you let them make their own."
Of course, there is a chance that these people saved me from myself. Saved me from the chance that my desire to watch the bees do their thing would have let to a story of a 'nasty hive' that I'd wished I were not able to tell. Still I wish that I had waited one more week, but the bees were getting worn and tattered. I had to ensure that there would be enough worker bees around to care for the young bees that would develop from the eggs a new queen would lay. Time was running out. So, I "requeened." Saturday I will go back into the hive and see if the queen is yet laying eggs. I will be surprised to get honey from that hive this year......instead I am hoping to simply have the bees build the honey comb for me so that next year will be easier on the colony.
I will post another report tomorrow, which will mark 1 week since the queen was installed.
Ever watch yourself in a dream? Sometimes there are moments in my life that are similar to this experience, and today was one of them. You see, 10 days ago when I discovered that the Italian hive was without eggs or larva, and that supercedure cells had hatched (meaning a new queen was born), I was content to see the course of nature unfold. The queen would leave the hive within a week of emerging, and in another week will begin to lay eggs. According to this time line, it would be expected that this new queen would be mated and laying eggs in about 14 days. Without giving it the full amount of time required, however, I observed the uneasiness of the bees and made up my mind to get a new queen. I don't know if I did the right thing or not, but I do know that I was motivated by fear of a poorly mated queen.
I do wish that I had let nature do its thing...that I had waited, watched, and learned.
I began working the hives by smoking the entrance and top of the hive. The bees buzzed audibly, and then became quiet. I waited 30 seconds, and when I opened the hive most of the bees had their heads stuck in cells gorging themselves on honey, which calms them down. It also sets the progress of the hive back a few days, so I don't like to do it unless I feel that I need to.
After the bees were calm, I began pulling frames one at a time. I was looking for eggs, and a queen. Most likely the queen would not be laying yet, but I was looking for eggs (easier than finding a queen). The first few frames had none. On the third frame I pulled I saw her, the queen, walking across the comb. I reached into my pocket, pulled the pliers our and unceremoniously grabbed the queen, killing her instantly. I dropped the queen on the ground and with both hands on the frame, began the motion of putting it back into the hive...BUT WAIT!!!!! WAS THAT AN EGGS I JUST SAW???? Sure enough, it was. WHAT HAVE I DONE!? ARGH! I killed a queen that appears to have been properly mated, and was now laying eggs. Right away I regretted not listening to my own inner voice that told me to 'watch and learn as nature does its thing.' Instead, I had listened to others who warned, "Hives that raise their own queen are more aggressive than mated queens of known quality. You'll be sorry you let them make their own."
Of course, there is a chance that these people saved me from myself. Saved me from the chance that my desire to watch the bees do their thing would have let to a story of a 'nasty hive' that I'd wished I were not able to tell. Still I wish that I had waited one more week, but the bees were getting worn and tattered. I had to ensure that there would be enough worker bees around to care for the young bees that would develop from the eggs a new queen would lay. Time was running out. So, I "requeened." Saturday I will go back into the hive and see if the queen is yet laying eggs. I will be surprised to get honey from that hive this year......instead I am hoping to simply have the bees build the honey comb for me so that next year will be easier on the colony.
I will post another report tomorrow, which will mark 1 week since the queen was installed.
