Actual positioning of the cage between top bar of frames in the following video starts at 13:00 minutes into the 19-minute video:
3 Methods (Most Common, Never Do, & Best)
Candy plug is about a 3-day timed release. Sometimes they don't get through the candy; however, I don't recommend arbitrarily just always poking a hole through the candy. If the candy is soft and easy to chew and you poke a hole through the candy then they will chew through too quickly and kill the queen.
DO NOT REMOVE ATTENDANTS (It is not necessary... and I never release them, ever)
Cage releasing positions (Note all these are done just below the top bar and pressed into the comb).
1. Most Common: Vertically, Candy down, but if it gets too hot the candy can melt down and out and the queen can get released too soon, therefore, I don't use this any more after having lost a few queens and attendants drowned in the melted candy.
2. Never Do: Vertically, Candy up especially here in hot Florida. I've had the candy melt down onto attendants and queen... drowning them. So do NOT install with the candy at the top.
3. Best (or preferred): Horizontal, Laterally, Screen side down: Pushed into comb just below top bar, then squeeze adjacent frame to hold it in position. You can see this method in the above video at 13 minutes into the video.
Now... Here is what C. F. Koehnen recommends for their queens shipped in the 3-hole wooden cages:
DO NOT REMOVE ATTENDANTS (It is not necessary... and I never release them, ever)
Cage releasing positions (Note all these are done just below the top bar and pressed into the comb).
1. Most Common: Vertically, Candy down, but if it gets too hot the candy can melt down and out and the queen can get released too soon, therefore, I don't use this any more after having lost a few queens and attendants drowned in the melted candy.
2. Never Do: Vertically, Candy up especially here in hot Florida. I've had the candy melt down onto attendants and queen... drowning them. So do NOT install with the candy at the top.
3. Best (or preferred): Horizontal, Laterally, Screen side down: Pushed into comb just below top bar, then squeeze adjacent frame to hold it in position. You can see this method in the above video at 13 minutes into the video.
Now... Here is what C. F. Koehnen recommends for their queens shipped in the 3-hole wooden cages:
"Before you attempt to install a new queen, make sure your hive has been queenless for at least 3 days. If your hive has a resident queen, remove and destroy her. Within a day or so of becoming queenless, your hive will probably begin to build queen cells (you may already have some in your hive if it has been queenless for some time, or your queen is failing). These should be destroyed before your new queen is introduced. ... If you install the queen too early the workers will most likely not accept her, and kill the new queen.
The candy tube is designed to take 48 hours to chew through, and thus, allows 48 hours of introduction before your queen emerges (do NOT poke a hole in the candy, as it will cause the queen to release too early, and the workers will kill her). During this time the workers will become accustomed to the new queen.
Installing: After your hive has been queenless for sufficient time, remove the cork on the candy side of the cage (there will be a cork at each end but only one will have candy blocking it). You do not need to remove the worker bees from the queen cage. You'll probably need to remove one of the frames temporarily to fit the queen cage in the hive. Place the cage about 1 inch from the top with the candy side about 45 degrees down, near the center of the hive. The workers will chew through the candy over a period of 48-72 hours and the queen will release.
After installation: Leave the hive undisturbed for a few days after installing the queen. Check to make sure she has left the queencage. If she is still in the cage it is safe to directly release her. The empty queen cage can then be removed (and the frame replaced if you pulled one out). In about 4-8 days after she emerges, you should begin to see eggs. The time it takes for her to lay can vary depending upon the condition of the comb inside the hive and the weather." C. F. Koehnen & Sons, Inc.
| basfqueenintroduction.pdf |
