# Queens are here!



## TxGypsy (Nov 23, 2006)

The post office called this morning (at a positively unholy hour) to let me know my queen bees have arrived. I wish I'd been notified by the apiary that they were going to be early but I wasn't. It's a nasty cold rainy day. I cannot believe that I just had to turn the heater on in mid May in Texas! So I will have some royal house guests for a day or two. This is my first time ordering queens.

Any suggestions of what to do to keep them comfortable? I figure I ought to wipe a bit of sugar water over the screens of the cages for the attendants and probably place them in a warm dark place. LOL....I'll try not to sit and watch them all day!


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## xbeeman412 (May 10, 2002)

Do You have Your nucs ready to put them in?

How many and how are they shipped? If there is a queenless hive and they are shipped in the battery box put them in the queenless hive and they will be attented to.


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## TxGypsy (Nov 23, 2006)

Nope the nucs aren't ready. I'll get them set up tomorrow. The apiary did not notify me that they were shipping my queens early. First I heard of it was this morning when the post office called. Also we have had rainy cold weather for a while now so I haven't done any splits. 

Yes they are in queen cages. I have a couple of hives that I'm not sure if they successfully raised a queen or not that I'll check on as candidates. I have a hive that needs to be requeened that will be getting one. I may be able to place all of them in existing hives.


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## TxGypsy (Nov 23, 2006)

All 4 queens got homes yesterday. 2 in nucs and 2 in hives that had queen cells that didn't take. I am beginning to wonder if the mocking birds that hang out around my apiary aren't getting virgin queens on their mating flights. I know they are eating bees. I've had quite a few hives with nice large well formed queen cells that ended up without a queen when I checked back on them. 

I've also got a large native bee that is preying on my bees. It was bold enough to try and run me off of a hive I had open yesterday and zipped in to help itself.


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