Caging Queens!!!

It is now time to cage my queens!  Sometime here in the next week I will be gently coaxing my queens to re-enter their queen cages.  Sometimes this can be a difficult task.  First of all, it can be hard to find my queen.  Once I find her, she really has no interest in being locked up in a small cell so she will often strongly avoid my plans for her.  I will keep working at it patiently.  Eventually, she will get tired and crawl right in.  Sometimes I very gently pick her up and place her in the box.  Be sure to have a cork wittled down to the proper size (to fit into the entrance of the queen box) and a small strip of duct tape will be handy as long as you do not cover up the screen.  Remember, our queens need to breath.  Once you have successfully captured your queen, place the box back into the hive between two frames being careful to have the mesh available to the workers so they can feed their beloved queen.  Within 21 days, you will have no eggs or larva and it's time to extract your golden honey (unless the queen escapes). If you have any questions or need assistance, please give me a call and I will get back to you as soon as possible.  This is the bussiest time of the season and today is my first day at the Farmer's Market.  If you want to chat bees, come by the market. Blessings!! Dawn