INTRODUCING NEW QUEEN

[lakeman]

I copied the following from another how to web sight---

"Caged Queen:A caged queen will be in a small, plastic, or wire cage with a few nurse bees to feed her. The opening in the cage will be plugged with a hard sugar candy or a mixture of beeswax and honey. This will be covered with a cork or plastic cap. Remove the plastic or cork cap. Make sure the opening is still sealed with candy or wax. Move the middle 2 frames of your nuc apart and push the cage between them with the plugged opening pointing downward. It is a good idea to remove the worker bees from the cage before putting it in the hive or nuc."-- 

It states "your queen cage has the queen, and a few nurse bees to feed her". "it states to make sure to leave it sealed with candy or wax, but says it is a good idea to remove the nurse bees". My question is how do you remove the nurse bees, but leave it stilll sealed with candy or wax? do you not have to unseal to remove the nurse bees?

[buzzbee]

I have never removed the attendant bees and it has not been a problem.

[Michael Bush]

I don't remove them unless I have reason to anticipate problems with the introduction.  Reasons for anticipating problems are agressive hives, introducing Russian queens, long period of queenlessness, laying workers etc.

If you want to remove them, Do it in the bathroom near the window and the queen will most likely fly to the window.  Even better buy a queen muff from Brushy Mountain Bee Farm.