Laserfiche WebLink
Beekeeping in Northern Climates <br />HOW TO FIND THE QUEEN IN YOUR COLONY <br />7DNH\RXUWLPH)LQGLQJWKHTXHHQLVOLNHDWUHDVXUHKXQW3ODQRQLWWDNLQJVRPHWLPH <br />Be systematic to avoid a “goose chase.” Separate each box of your colony and place each on an <br />LQGLYLGXDOVWDQG ERWWRPERDUGLQYHUWHGWHOHVFRSLQJFRYHUHPSW\ER[RUDKLYHVWDQG)LJXUH 7KLV <br />way, as you search through one box, the queen can’t move into another box, leading you on a wild <br />goose chase. Remove the end frame from one box and inspect both sides of the frame carefully for the <br />TXHHQ,IVKHLVQRWIRXQGSODFHWKHIUDPHRQHQGRXWVLGHRIWKHER[ )LJXUH ,QVSHFWWKHVHFRQG <br />IUDPHDQGLIVKHLVQRWIRXQGWKHUHHLWKHUSODFHLWRXWVLGHWKHER[QH[WWRWKH¿UVWIUDPH3URFHHGWR <br />search the remaining frames, one by one, but rather than setting them outside the box when done, <br />VOLGHWKHPRYHUWRZKHUHWKH¿UVWWZRIUDPHVZHUHORFDWHG7KLVHI¿FLHQWSURFHGXUHJLYHV\RXURRPWR <br />remove each frame without damaging the bees and limits your chances of having to inspect the same <br />frames twice. An alternative is to move each frame, one by one, into an entirely different brood box. <br />7KLVLVDSDUWLFXODUO\JRRGLGHDLI\RXQHHGWRUHSODFHRUUHSDLQWDZRUQER[$OZD\VORRNIRUWKHTXHHQ <br />on the sides of the box, bottom board, and inner cover. <br />.HHSDWDOO\DQGWUDLQ\RXUH\H3D\DWWHQWLRQWRWKHFRQWHQWVRIHDFKFRPEDV\RXVHDUFKNHHSLQJ <br />DWDOO\LQ\RXUPLQG5HPHPEHUWKHRUJDQL]DWLRQRIWKHFRORQ\*HQHUDOO\WKHTXHHQZLOOEHVRPHZKHUH <br />in the brood nest, often on a comb that has emerging brood and empty cells for her to lay eggs into. If a <br />comb is full of honey, sealed brood, or older larvae she may not be there because there are no places <br />WROD\HJJV%XWGRQ¶WFRXQWRQKHUIROORZLQJWKHVHUXOHVVKHKDVOHJVDQGPD\VFXUU\WRWKHRXWHUPRVW <br />IUDPHVRUKLGGHQFRUQHUVZKHQWKHFRORQ\LVGLVWXUEHG7UDLQ\RXUH\HWRORRNIRUVRPHWKLQJGLIIHUHQW <br />e.g., a difference in the type of movement or pattern of bees on the comb; a small clearing of bees with <br />RQHUR\DOEHHSURXGO\ZDONLQJWKURXJKLW/HW\RXUH\HVVFDQRYHUHDFKFRPEZLWKRXWWU\LQJWRIRFXVRQ <br />each and every bee. It’s always great to have another set of eyes, so after you scan a frame you can <br />KDQGLWWR\RXUEXGG\IRUDQRWKHUORRN <br />4. Stop while you're ahead:HKDYHDUXOHVWRSORRNLQJDIWHU\RXKDYHVHDUFKHGHYHU\IUDPHDQG <br />VXUIDFHLQWKHFRORQ\WZLFH&DUHIXOO\UHDVVHPEOHWKHFRORQ\DQGWU\DJDLQDQRWKHUGD\%\WKHWKLUG <br />search the queen has often moved to a hidden location where she might get accidently smashed. We <br />NQRZWKLVIURPWKHVFKRRORIKDUGNQRFNV <br />7KHUHVKHLV1RZZKDW":KHQ\RX¿QGKHUFHOHEUDWHEXWGRQ¶WWDNH\RXUH\HVRIIRIKHU6RPH <br />TXHHQVSUHIHUWRVFDPSHUDQGKLGHLQDGDUNFRUQHUUDWKHUWKDQEHLQWKHVSRWOLJKW$WWKLVSRLQW\RXFDQ <br />VLPSO\DGPLUHKHUSDW\RXUVHOIRQWKHEDFNDQGFDUHIXOO\UHDVVHPEOHWKHFRORQ\<RXFDQPDUNKHUZLWK <br />DGDERISDLQWPDNLQJLWDELWHDVLHUWRVHHKHU\RXUQH[WWLPHWKURXJK2UUHPRYHKHULI\RXUJRDOLVWR <br />LQWURGXFHDQHZTXHHQ'RQRWEHGLVFRXUDJHGLI\RXGRQ¶W¿QGKHU)LQGLQJWKHTXHHQLVDKDUGWDVN <br />7KHPRUH\RXSUDFWLFH¿QGLQJKHUWKHHDVLHUVKHLVWRVSRW <br />)LJXUH7RVHDUFKIRUWKHTXHHQVHW <br />RQHER[RQDGLIIHUHQWVWDQGDQGORRN <br />through each box individually. Set the <br />¿UVWRQHRUWZRIUDPHV\RXUHPRYHIURP <br />a brood box on their ends outside the <br />colony in order to create more room to <br />pull out subsequent frames when going <br />WKURXJKWKHKLYHOLNHWKHIUDPHQH[WWR <br />WKHOHIWNQHHRIWKHZRPDQLQMHDQV