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As I prepare to do a removal, there are many considerations and thoughts that pass through my mind that deal with the many different aspects of removing bees. However, can you guess what thought takes precedence over all the others? And no Dirt Rooster, it is not what are we going to eat for lunch. My over riding thought is will I be able to locate and catch the queen.
So why should this consideration be above all else, I mean, so what if something happens to the queen, the bees can make another one, or you can always just go get another one. Though these are viable options, I do not believe they are the best options for a hive that has bee removed from a structure.
When bees are forced out of their hive, they react just like us when we are forced to do something against our will, they become stressed. And just as stress can have terrible effects on humans, bees can suffer from the effects of it also.
What I have found over the years of relocating bees is when I return to the colony the original queen, it greatly reduces the stress of the colony and the recovery time for the hive to reestablish itself is greatly reduced. If a new queen is introduced, it's almost like there is a "get acquainted" period, and the hive can stumble. If the bees are able to make a new queen from young enough brood, by the time the new queen hatches, mates, starts laying, and the new bees start emerging, the hive may have shrunk to 1/3 the original size, and the possibility of outside attacks from other bees and insects are greatly increased during this time. So, in my opinion, the best option is to capture and return the original queen to the hive for the greatest likelihood of the colony surviving the ordeal.
So now maybe you may get a bit clearer picture of why I try so diligently to capture the queen, and why I go to such great lengths and care while dismantling a hive, I want to capture the queen because it give the bees the greatest chance of surviving the stress of being relocated. You may notice in this video, when the queen is rejoined to her colony right at the end, the reaction of the workers......sheer joy!
Alright, enough words. Get ready to sit back and hopefully enjoy yet another bee wrangling adventure with Mr. Ed and Wreck It Ralph. God's peace to all.
Mr. Ed
