Raising Honeybees in the Suburbs

After taking a few entomology classes at the University of Minnesota. I discovered with fascination the world of insects, especially honey bees. It will be my seventh year as a beekeeper and I am sure a new adventure as well.

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Second Queen Installed in Shakopee

Second MN Hygienic queen
I drove back home from work on Wednesday May 18, 2011with my little wooden insect box in the front seat. As soon as I pulled into the driveway, Ben and I jumped into our bee suits and drove to Shakopee to installed the rescued queen. We placed her in the Shakopee divide a day earlier than anticipated because we wanted her to be safe and cared for right away... enough adventures already. We used the same procedure  as in Chanhassen; removing the cork and replacing it with a candy plug.

We will check on her, if she has been accepted by her new family Monday, May 23 or Tuesday May 24,  2011. I am hopeful but still a little worried about the queen. It is never a sure thing, acceptance is left to nature and waiting is difficult to do.

From this mishap I have learned that sugary water can only be used when there are a lot of bees, hundreds not only a handful. So few bees could not clean themselves so fast, and soon the sugar dried off, preventing the workers to feed and groom the queen. A hard lesson to learn.

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1 comment:

  1. LoriMay 25, 2011 at 11:01 PM

    Wow, what a story! Glad the queen was able to pull through and I'm crossing my fingers that she's been accepted at the hive!

    ReplyDelete

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