Author Topic: Piping Queen  (Read 1622 times)

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Offline Jen

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Piping Queen
« on: April 11, 2017, 02:12:23 pm »
Yesterday I was slowly introducing a caged queen, not letting her out of the cage yet, and watching bee behavior for acceptance or maybe not. I heard the queen piping, which makes me just giddy. Was wondering if she would be piping in a happy way knowing that she was with bees that wanted her? or, would she be piping because she felt in unsafe company?

Neil, it's sort of a high pitched chirping... So Cool!
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Offline Perry

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Re: Piping Queen
« Reply #1 on: April 11, 2017, 06:36:37 pm »
I'm thinking happy and excited. :)
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Offline Mikey N.C.

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Re: Piping Queen
« Reply #2 on: April 11, 2017, 08:51:27 pm »
Ditto.

Offline neillsayers

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Re: Piping Queen
« Reply #3 on: April 11, 2017, 09:14:40 pm »
Jen,

I haven't heard one pipe yet. Way cool! :)
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Offline Les

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Re: Piping Queen
« Reply #4 on: April 11, 2017, 09:46:15 pm »
Agree with Neill, way cool!

Offline Jen

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Re: Piping Queen
« Reply #5 on: April 11, 2017, 11:22:47 pm »
That is such good news! I've heard queens pipe before, such sweetness. Just yesterday I laid a caged queen on the top bars and watched the bees for awhile, see if it was an accept or not. Pretty queen was just singin' away... Makes Me Happy
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Offline Nugget Shooter

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Re: Piping Queen
« Reply #6 on: April 12, 2017, 09:27:25 am »
Wonder if I will ever get the chance to hear that with my worn out ears  :-X Very cool Jen...
Cheers, Bill

Offline Jen

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Re: Piping Queen
« Reply #7 on: April 12, 2017, 11:02:47 am »
Hey Nug! my 'rock and roll too loud' ears are challenged as well, I mean who doesn't love Crosby Stills and Nash at warp 4 volume, Right! I asked my doc about and he said the best solution is to turn up the volume.

But the piping of the queen is pretty audible, once you hear it, you will always remember it.

Sending you some piping queen mojo  ;) 8)
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Offline Nugget Shooter

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Re: Piping Queen
« Reply #8 on: April 12, 2017, 01:16:55 pm »
 :laugh: OK cool Jen and thanks....
Cheers, Bill

Offline riverbee

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Re: Piping Queen
« Reply #9 on: April 12, 2017, 08:51:22 pm »
"Yesterday I was slowly introducing a caged queen, not letting her out of the cage yet, and watching bee behavior for acceptance or maybe not. I heard the queen piping, which makes me just giddy. Was wondering if she would be piping in a happy way knowing that she was with bees that wanted her? or, would she be piping because she felt in unsafe company?"

queen piping is a very cool thing to hear!

jen, just a few questions because you asked is she 'happy' or 'felt unsafe'.........

when you laid the cage on top the frames, what was the bees reaction?
was the queen piping before you let her out of the cage?
or was she piping after you let her out of the cage?
or both?
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Offline Jen

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Re: Piping Queen
« Reply #10 on: April 13, 2017, 12:02:54 am »
I laid the cage down on top of the frames, screen up. Bees started casually crawling up onto the top of the cage, it was about a minute and I heard her piping. I picked up the cage and held it near my ear and heard her piping. I used my pinky finger and gently scooted the bees off of the face of the cage, they were not stuck on the cage aggressively. Then I put the cage back on the frames, and tidied the yard a bit, and then installed the queens, put the lid back on.

Crossing fingers
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Offline troutdog

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Re: Piping Queen
« Reply #11 on: December 05, 2017, 07:29:43 am »
I laid the cage down on top of the frames, screen up. Bees started casually crawling up onto the top of the cage, it was about a minute and I heard her piping. I picked up the cage and held it near my ear and heard her piping. I used my pinky finger and gently scooted the bees off of the face of the cage, they were not stuck on the cage aggressively. Then I put the cage back on the frames, and tidied the yard a bit, and then installed the queens, put the lid back on.

Crossing fingers
Little late
Generally speaking virgins pipe.
Unless you saw your mated queen squeaking out a piper,
I have often gone to requeen a hive and left mated queen in cage and waited a few minutes, more by curiosity, as there was indifference to the mated queen by the workers.
Sure enough within a short time the virgin in the hive started piping which told me to not add the mated queen. Now it's become a fail safe test..... indifference to s caged mated queen generally  (to me) means there's a solution in place that I didn't see.
Banked mated queens will occasionally pipe in battery boxes, but it's generally rare that a mated q pipes as she has now drawn the attention of a ninja virgin and her demise.
Depending on how long the mated queen was banked, the phermones can be weak and the host bees will make a choice to kerp their virgin.
In the case of strong phermones, the bees will decide who is the better and choose accordingly.
Queens are incredibly sensitive and this whole process of moving mated qs from mating nucs to colonies is less than ideal.
Sometimes they faint and play possum, lol you think they had a heart attack. It's just the stress.
On the whole I think we're better off if time is available to use cells.
Cheers
T

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Offline neillsayers

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Re: Piping Queen
« Reply #12 on: December 05, 2017, 12:20:09 pm »
Welcome Troutdog and thanks for the info! :)
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