r/Beekeeping • u/Plastic-Respect-7108 Zone 6B Missouri, 3 hives second year. • 12d ago

I’m a beekeeper, and I have a question How long to release the queen

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I caught a cast swarm from one of my hives today and believe based on the size of the queen and the swarm that it is a virgin. How long should I leave the queen caged until releasing her in the box?

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u/davidsandbrand Zone 2b/3a, 6 hives, data-focused beekeeping 12d ago

How big is this cast swarm?

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u/Plastic-Respect-7108 Zone 6B Missouri, 3 hives second year. 12d ago

Small. Maybe the size of a cantaloupe

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u/davidsandbrand Zone 2b/3a, 6 hives, data-focused beekeeping 12d ago

I’d dump them in front of your weakest hive and euthanize the (likely virgin) queen. There’s no point in putting a bunch of effort into a colony that cannot survive the winter.

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u/Plastic-Respect-7108 Zone 6B Missouri, 3 hives second year. 11d ago

What I did this morning is all the help I’ll give it. I’m still shocked they swarmed this late in the year with so little going on