Queen Bee

Description

Pickup Details

April 14, 9:00-Noon, Package Bee Pickup, California Queens Available at 393 East 4750 North in Provo.

May 19 & June 2, 6-9 pm, Nucleus Colony Pickup. Feral Queens Available at approximately 1830 N 2800 W in Provo, UT. This is a pasture.

May 26, 6-9 pm, Nucleus Colony Pickup. Feral Queens Available. Approximately 250 E 900 N in Spring City, UT. This is a pasture. Spring City is about an hour south of Provo.

After these pickups, we will continue to have Feral Queens for sale through the summer at our queen banks in Springville, UT and Highland, UT. Please text Stan at 801-735-7227 to arrange pickup.

 

California Mini Cage VS Push-In Cage

Choose to pick up your queen in a California mini cage or a push-in cage. We recommend a push-in cage where possible.

California Mini Cage

Advantage: This is the easiest way to pick up a queen. She is in a small cage that is easy to pick up and put in your pocket.

Disadvantages: When we put a queen in a California mini cage, the queen stops laying eggs for a time. When she stops laying eggs, her Queen Mandibular Pheromone (QMP) decreases. When she does not smell good (with QMP), the bees are less likely to accept her and might ball and kill her.

Occasionally when a queen stops laying eggs, it takes her a while to start laying eggs again.

Push-In Cage

Advantages: With a push-in cage, the queen is on comb, and will continue to lay eggs and releasing QMP. The more pheromones she has, the better she smells and she is more likely to be accepted by the bees. 

Disadvantages: It is a little harder to use a push-in cage.

If you choose a push-in cage, please bring your own frame of drawn comb with a little bit of honey somewhere on the frame. We will move the queen and cage onto your frame to transport her. Then you will place the frame with the queen and push-in cage into the colony to introduce the queen.

If you do not have a frame with drawn comb, choose the California mini cage option.