..Or, yet another Queen Bee!
I'VE MET some queens in my time ... from when I worked as a royal correspondent following the saga of the Windsor clan for the Sunday Express to watching in awe as Freddie Mercury performed with the last word in rock bands at Newcastle's St James' Park ... and then there are the friends I've made with some of the more flamboyant folk who've strutted their stuff in the most fabulous way when I lived in Soho.
However mention 'queen' now and all I can think of is the elusive madame who controls the beehive, the mood of the brood, the flow of the honey and the smooth running of any apiary. Without a queen the future of any bee colony is in jeopardy.
As regulars of Soho 2 Silo know my relationship with the five queens who run my hives has been anything but simple.
The first colony I owned came from a swarm in Ayr but after a brief meeting with their Queen she was off swarming again. Unheard of behaviour and certainly not text book, but at least she had the good grace to leave behind enough eggs for the remaining worker bees to create fresh queen cells. A new queen should have emerged and mated by now and I did see pollen going in to the hive which is a sure sign she exists and, more importantly, has started to lay eggs.
However I've resisted any temptation to sneak a peek after being advised to give it another seven days before I go poking around the frames trying to find and mark her.
The colony in my Warre hive is controlled by a magnificent queen I've seen only once - pictured above right with a red dot on her back. The colour of the dot signifies she is a 2013 queen whereas the swarm queen from Ayr had a yellow dot on her back indicating her reign began the previous year.
I've not seen queens in the second and third National hives but evidence of eggs and larvae tells me all is well. However the fourth hive has caused great concern in recent days because the queen located and marked by my mentor has disappeared without trace.
It is possible while inspecting the frames we've somehow managed to lose her or even squash her. Occasionally there are casualties when inspecting any hive, no matter how careful you try and be but to lose a queen is bordering on recklessness. However, it does happen and whatever the story in this hive the queen has not laid eggs for several days - eggs, looking no larger than the size of a comma, are laid and remain in that state for three days before changing into larvae.
If this had been the start of the season we might have just let Nature take its course and the worker bees would have quickly transformed the eggs cells into queen cups and raised a queen. But the whole procedure from start to finish, including the mating and commencement of egg laying could mean a month which would take us into the latter part of September just in time for winter shut down.
So we took the decision to intervene and buy a mated queen - again, because of the extraordinary challenges encountered in the bee world, there has been a run on mated queens and every phone call I made to suppliers drew negative responses until I got through to The Beeman of Corsock.
Hubby and I jumped in the car and headed off on an 80 mile journey past Gretna, Dumfries and beyond and two hours later we arrived at a tiny hamlet near Castle Douglas where I met Mike, The Beeman. Ref: http://www.britishqueenbees.co.uk/british-mix-mated-queen-bee-98-p.asp He handed me a small yellow plastic cage about the size of a box of matches and said: "She's in there with her attendants. Put her on a brood frame for about two days in the box. Once she's been introduced to the colony she will start laying eggs like a machine gun."
Deal done for £35 we set back off to our apiary but not before receiving a few more wise tips and pearls of wisdom from The Beeman who produces upto 3,000 mated queens a year for some of the UK's beekeepers.
Our new queen is Scottish and among her qualities is a low tendency to swarm, possible hardiness against the dreaded varroa mite as well as an inbuilt hardiness for the harsh weather conditions often thrown up on this side of the border during the winter months.
Another 80 miles later, we arrived back at our apiary just ahead of dusk and, after donning our protective clothing, inserted our precious cargo in between the brood frames. The plan is to leave 'Her Maj' hanging there for the next couple of days before snapping off a plastic tab at one end of the box. The entrance into her chamber is sealed with candy and the worker bees will eat their way in as she and her courtiers eat their way out.
By the time they meet in the middle they should all share the same odour and the workers will greet their new queen as one of their own instead of an intruder. And, if Mike is right, she should then set about laying eggs in the brood box with the rapidity of an AK-47.
If the wonderful weather continues for the next few weeks that means the occupants of National No. 4 should be in a good position to face whatever challenges the Scottish winter throws at them thanks to their sturdy new queen.
After removing the plastic tab I will not be going anywhere near the hive for at least a week so that the colony can get on with its business undisturbed. Mike reckons any prodding or poking about (the professionals call it manipulation) by beekeepers could unsettle the colony which in turn could start plotting to overthrow the new queen and I really can't be doing with another coup or regime change at this stage!
I'VE MET some queens in my time ... from when I worked as a royal correspondent following the saga of the Windsor clan for the Sunday Express to watching in awe as Freddie Mercury performed with the last word in rock bands at Newcastle's St James' Park ... and then there are the friends I've made with some of the more flamboyant folk who've strutted their stuff in the most fabulous way when I lived in Soho.
However mention 'queen' now and all I can think of is the elusive madame who controls the beehive, the mood of the brood, the flow of the honey and the smooth running of any apiary. Without a queen the future of any bee colony is in jeopardy.
As regulars of Soho 2 Silo know my relationship with the five queens who run my hives has been anything but simple.
 |
| RED QUEEN: The regal bee with a red dot clearly marked, top right |
However I've resisted any temptation to sneak a peek after being advised to give it another seven days before I go poking around the frames trying to find and mark her.
The colony in my Warre hive is controlled by a magnificent queen I've seen only once - pictured above right with a red dot on her back. The colour of the dot signifies she is a 2013 queen whereas the swarm queen from Ayr had a yellow dot on her back indicating her reign began the previous year.
I've not seen queens in the second and third National hives but evidence of eggs and larvae tells me all is well. However the fourth hive has caused great concern in recent days because the queen located and marked by my mentor has disappeared without trace.
It is possible while inspecting the frames we've somehow managed to lose her or even squash her. Occasionally there are casualties when inspecting any hive, no matter how careful you try and be but to lose a queen is bordering on recklessness. However, it does happen and whatever the story in this hive the queen has not laid eggs for several days - eggs, looking no larger than the size of a comma, are laid and remain in that state for three days before changing into larvae.
If this had been the start of the season we might have just let Nature take its course and the worker bees would have quickly transformed the eggs cells into queen cups and raised a queen. But the whole procedure from start to finish, including the mating and commencement of egg laying could mean a month which would take us into the latter part of September just in time for winter shut down.
 |
| ROYAL BOX: waiting to be inserted into the hive, the new queen and her courtiers |
Hubby and I jumped in the car and headed off on an 80 mile journey past Gretna, Dumfries and beyond and two hours later we arrived at a tiny hamlet near Castle Douglas where I met Mike, The Beeman. Ref: http://www.britishqueenbees.co.uk/british-mix-mated-queen-bee-98-p.asp He handed me a small yellow plastic cage about the size of a box of matches and said: "She's in there with her attendants. Put her on a brood frame for about two days in the box. Once she's been introduced to the colony she will start laying eggs like a machine gun."
 |
| LADY-IN-WAITING: The new queen secure in her yellow box, top left, between frames |
Our new queen is Scottish and among her qualities is a low tendency to swarm, possible hardiness against the dreaded varroa mite as well as an inbuilt hardiness for the harsh weather conditions often thrown up on this side of the border during the winter months.
Another 80 miles later, we arrived back at our apiary just ahead of dusk and, after donning our protective clothing, inserted our precious cargo in between the brood frames. The plan is to leave 'Her Maj' hanging there for the next couple of days before snapping off a plastic tab at one end of the box. The entrance into her chamber is sealed with candy and the worker bees will eat their way in as she and her courtiers eat their way out.
By the time they meet in the middle they should all share the same odour and the workers will greet their new queen as one of their own instead of an intruder. And, if Mike is right, she should then set about laying eggs in the brood box with the rapidity of an AK-47.
If the wonderful weather continues for the next few weeks that means the occupants of National No. 4 should be in a good position to face whatever challenges the Scottish winter throws at them thanks to their sturdy new queen.
After removing the plastic tab I will not be going anywhere near the hive for at least a week so that the colony can get on with its business undisturbed. Mike reckons any prodding or poking about (the professionals call it manipulation) by beekeepers could unsettle the colony which in turn could start plotting to overthrow the new queen and I really can't be doing with another coup or regime change at this stage!
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