For maximum safety and best practice, the answer is yes. You should generally remove attendant bees from individual queen cages before placing them into a banking colony.
While attendants can often coexist within a bank, removing them eliminates the variable of pheromone conflict, ensuring the banking colony focuses entirely on the queens.
The Core Takeaway To ensure the highest probability of queen survival, especially during long-term banking, removing attendants is the superior strategy. It removes the potential for aggression caused by foreign pheromones, though it requires steady hands to avoid accidental injury to the queen during the process.
The Biological Logic for Removal
Eliminating Pheromone Conflict
The primary reason to remove attendants is to reduce olfactory confusion. Attendant bees carry the specific scent and pheromones of their original colony.
Introducing these foreign workers into a banking colony can trigger defensive behaviors or aggression from the host bees. By removing them, you present the banking colony with only the queens, streamlining the acceptance process.
Focusing the Colony's Resources
The success of a queen bank relies on the host colony's nurse bees feeding and grooming the caged queens through the wire mesh.
When attendants are present inside the cage, they perform these duties, potentially reducing the interaction between the queen and the banking colony. Removing attendants forces the banking colony to engage directly with the queen, ensuring she is integrated into the colony's care network.
Understanding the Trade-offs
The Risk of Handling Errors
While biological theory favors removing attendants, the mechanical process of doing so introduces significant physical risk.
Opening a cage to remove workers presents an opportunity for the queen to fly away and be lost. Furthermore, the physical act of catching and removing workers increases the chance of accidentally crushing or injuring the queen.
When Attendants Are Acceptable
It is important to note that in many practical scenarios, attendants and banking colonies work harmoniously.
The pheromones of the new queen often spread quickly, unifying the scent of all bees involved. If you lack the equipment or confidence to safely remove attendants, leaving them in is often less risky than a clumsy removal attempt.
Making the Right Choice for Your Goal
- If your primary focus is long-term storage or maximum biological safety: Remove the attendants to eliminate potential aggression and ensure the banking colony bonds directly with the queen.
- If your primary focus is avoiding physical injury or loss of the queen: Leave the attendants in the cage, as the risk of crushing the queen or having her fly away during removal may outweigh the risk of pheromone conflict.
Ultimately, while removing attendants is the technical gold standard, your ability to handle the queen safely should dictate your final decision.
Summary Table:
| Factor | Removing Attendants (Recommended) | Keeping Attendants |
|---|---|---|
| Pheromone Conflict | Minimized; higher colony acceptance | Possible aggression from host bees |
| Resource Focus | Host bees feed queen directly through mesh | Attendants handle initial feeding |
| Handling Risk | Higher risk of queen injury/escape during removal | Lower immediate physical risk to queen |
| Best For | Long-term storage & biological safety | Quick banking & less experienced handlers |
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