Most Beekeepers Will Never See This... Double Queen Nuc

Join this channel to get access to perks:
/ @628dirtrooster Check out our store and community forum on our web site at 628dirtrooster.com/
628-dirt-rooster.myshopify.co...
This double queen nuc is the first one I've ever seen. If I've ever had any single colony with more than one queen working it I didn't know it. I knew it was possible for two queens to live and work in the same colony because I've heard reputable people claim to have seen it before but this is the first time I've ever witnessed it in person, or even on video for that matter. There are ways to manipulate colonies and have two mated queens working adjacent brood boxes and sharing the same honey supers but those queens never have the opportunity to cross paths like these two did. The odd part to me is that the workers didn't seem to mind and they will typically not accept more that one mated queen per colony. Fun interesting stuff to say the least.
It's also fun to see these queens working the frame and laying eggs. It's yet another thing that most beekeepers will never see simply due to the fact they don't take the time to wait and observe. I hope you enjoyed this footage.
Check out our new Dirt Rooster hats at 628dirtrooster.com/
Please post your Dirt Rooster merchandise pictures on the Wall Of Fame at www.628dirtrooster.com/wall/
If you'd like to shoot an intro for a video you can post it on "RooTube" in our community forum on the 628DirtRooster web site. Remember, hold your phone sideways to record yourself.
Whether you are just starting beekeeping, have beekeeping questions or you are a pro and want to contribute to the conversations check out our forum at forum.628dirtrooster.com/
You can also follow along on Instagram for more regular content - 628DirtRooster
Our newest WOWTAC A5 work flashlight amzn.to/2W5C8hG
Bee suits and gloves guardianbeeapparel.com/
The infrared camera I use is FLIR One Pro for ios amzn.to/2RSJtjN
These are the headphones I use for editing amzn.to/38NgHq8
My favorite tripod amzn.to/3abuO9P
My most commonly used hive tools amzn.to/2XfPSsq
Battery powered bee vac www.allmybees.com/
Benro Carbon Fiber Tripod amzn.to/2VLCbQJ
Benro Tripod Geared Head amzn.to/3f17I8R
Infrared camera FLIR One Pro amzn.to/3fEOVRa
We do earn a small commission from Amazon affiliate links and Everything Bee Vac sales.
Music is through Epidemic Sound

[@AnnaC63]

In the clip with the queen..."I got to spend so.much one on one time with THE Queen !! She was as confused as I was. She gives me a special wave and nod now when she sees me."

[@SandraNelson063]

It never ceases to amaze me, how bees can adapt to any kind of space available. They just seem to know that they can wedge a hive in anywhere.

[@JeffHorchoff]

I can't believe your dad hung around that long to keep pointing out where those 2 queens were on the comb. You have a great dad, most folks would not have had the patience to do that. While I'm at talking about folks helping you out, Pete did a great job on removing the comb. No way you could have gotten those watermelon mits into that space. God's peace brother.

[@628DirtRooster]

I tried to get him to be quiet. Could you hear him breathing into the microphone?

[@georgina979]

I got one of these in my second year as a beekeeper and nobody could explain it to me. The guy who sold me the nuc didn't believe me. He thought I was crazy, confused or lying. I got to see something amazing! Thanks for helping me become a better beekeeper with your great videos.

[@mbgal7758]

When you get two queens in a hive it’s generally a mother/daughter combo where the mother queen just didn’t swarm whatever reason then the daughter gets mated and returns to the hive to start laying too. They can last together like that for a while too if you leave them. The workers will continue to support their mother and sister indefinitely. It’s pretty cool.

[@kareno8634]

@@mbgal7758 - pardon me, i laugh - lol Mother \ Daughter - Unless queen was added . . yeaah. just teasing ~ but i, not yet working Bees - have not thought of other way. Got me thinking tho. Cheers! btw Heather >> "Beachgirl" is SUPER Name! I got to be a 'Beach Bum' for 2 weeks, no other place to live. Worked 3rd shift, Beach was Home. Was the Best 2 Weeks ever! *~- **

[@mbgal7758]

Karen O usually two unrelated queens would not tolerate each other, workers will also turn on one. Workers would tend to support the queen that’s most genetically similar to them. That’s why it can work when the mother queen stays behind, she is the mother of most of the workers so they share genetic similarity and as long as she is laying they have no reason to turn on her. Then a Virgin Queen hatches out, goes on a mating flight and returns and has genetic similarity to her sisters so they don’t reject her either. So then you have a hive with two friendly queens.

[@badassbees3680]

It happens when mother is getting Superceded.. They'll lay in Harmony a few days and then they'll dispatch momma Queen,it's only a matter of time...

[@michaelsmith7425]

I went and got my nuc from Beaweaver in Navasota in late may. Imagine my surprise as I was moving the frames from the transport plastic box to the wooden nuc. I easily spotted the marked queen, but amazingly there was a second unmarked queen. A beautiful almost full caramel coloured one. I tried to catch her but I'm brand new at this and did not want to risk hurting her. I remembered the article and decided to let nature take its course.

[@mathewclutterbuck1593]

Thanks rooster. Had a new queen deliverd by post but left her in postbox over a frosty night. Thought she was dead not moving but rememberd your vid where you had sme problem. Tipped them out ground. The sun came and they revived. So i put lucky queen in sun and sure enough. She pulled herself together. Thanks to your vidio

[@davidolsen2495]

Watching a queen lay eggs is something I never thought I'd see

[@newatthis50]

I really enjoyed seeing the 2 queens!! Thank You for taking the time to let us see them lay. You pack more visual of the natural comb and more teaching into your videos than we deserve!! The fun and camaraderie are icing on the cake!!

[@garybrabant5505]

WOW!!! That was incredible. Two queens. I'd have never thought. Nice catch on the queen that hit the floor. Thank you again. 😎🐝🐝🐝

[@joesoutdoorplaces]

That was a such a small opening to work with. Pete did an outstanding job.

[@gemstar3824]

I grew up in the city but I've always loved animals and insects. I've learned more about bees from watching your videos than my previous 38 years on this earth. Your channel is so entertaining, informative, well edited, and full of personality. What you do is an art form. Thank you for all your good work!

[@pnwRC.]

Neat accidental discovery with the work platforms! 15:06, Mr. Ed never finds the queen that fast! You should school him on queen locating. LOL! Near the beginning of the video, it was neat to see a hive that had 2 queens that were actively laying! Even neater to see video of the queen actually laying!

[@628DirtRooster]

If Mr. Ed's queens were on the floor like that he'd find them in no time since he's always looking around for spare change. Pete and I will be watching some of your videos on the way to work tomorrow. Pete will anyway. I'll be driving. lol

[@gabe-po9yi]

628DirtRooster Bees Ok, that’s funny. So when ppl say, “poor Mr. Ed”, it’s really true -

[@jilla8503]

So cool🤗 I've never seen 2 queens before & it was nice seeing them laying eggs too. Stay safe n healthy 💜😷✌🏼️🐝

[@patrickderp1044]

the amount of air traffic in the united states has been at 1980s levels for almost 3 months now. the skies are a lot blue-er and the flowers are blooming more!

[@gotskinn]

Cool! My favorite thing to see a queen do is measure the cells w her front legs!

[@jilllangelaar1457]

Doh Joe Gringo 😳😳😳 she Does What?

[@lmvicente1]

Thank you sharing your knowledge with all of us. You have made me understand and grow to appreciate honey bees so much more than any book has ever thought me. And ya’lls jokes and antics along the way have kept me entertained! Thanks again for all you do🐝🐝🐝

[@holliglendenning3149]

Oh I really needed to watch one of your videos to help me feel sane in this crazy world we are currently in!

[@flatpicknrick6514]

This is one of my all time favorite videos so far. Very nicely filmed and taught. My first look at a double queen Nuc. Great job Randy

[@SlickGokuBaby]

Pretty cool to not only see 2 queens in the same box, but managing to find them both on the same frame? That's pretty crazy.

[@kellyberry4173]

Loved every minute Randy...thank you 🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝

[@jabaums1]

I had the same thing last fall. I took pics of my 2 queens 1 inch apart. It’s pretty amazing! They were in all winter and the older queen disappeared in mid February. Awesome video!

[@Sassafras30]

Without a hands on opportunity, your videos are amazing. I keep telling my husband what I’m learning about bee keeping and I think he is going to start watching your videos as well.

[@628DirtRooster]

Next thing you know you'll have bees.

[@lewiemcneely9143]

Bacon cupcakes, Sponge PETE and me slobbering when the honey starts running down the wall. And queens stacking up. Now where was Mr. Ed! Thanks, Randy! Yall did good and sometimes watermelon hands are slight dawbacks. Hi to everybody and grass is growing here too!

[@egparis18]

Hey DirtRooster, I spotted both queens, even the unmarked one. I'm progressing. Good to see you both again and I hope Pete left you at least one cupcake. Thank you for sharing and see you soon.

[@evonnewhalen9794]

I love your channel. You remind me of my uncle. Happy and jolly. Thank you for sharing your videos

[@pamelaschniepp6075]

It's hard for me to believe the 70s were 50 years ago too, Pete. 😳

[@sandybrecken6871]

It's great to see you posting again love watching your videos

[@lisaevans7293]

Orange cupcakes are the best!!!!

[@petermurphy6216]

Hi Randy , two queens laying on the same frame in the same hive that is cool my friend , great cut out too a lot of queen cells wow another bonus . Thank you mate cool vlog.

[@gpcoasters7824]

I'm a rollercoaster nerd that rarely encounters a single bee in my travels to theme parks yet your videos are so fascinating that I'm rethinking my life plans. I'm wondering if my back yard could house a couple of colonies... 🤔 Love your channel!

[@TheTrooperGirl]

my first year have a double queen hive. Russian and Italian. the craziest thing.

[@fern1416]

Addicted to your videos.

[@426superbee4]

"I think they just don't see them." A virgin queen is very hard to spot. I tell them its very common! They look at me like i'am crazy! But its pretty common here! to see even 3 queens working togather This really make the hive BOOM ~ Even some swarm will have milti queens, i seen up to as many as 13 queens in a swarm THE BOOKS ARE WRONG WRONG WRONG! i'am not much of a camera person . Thanks for showing this CHEERS

[@WoolieBsApiary]

The gentleman that thought me how to keep bee caged 30 queens out of what he guessed was an 8 to 10 pound mega swarm most were virgins a few were mated but this was back in the 70s

[@lisaevans7293]

Loved watching 2 queens laying at the same time. Not something you see every day is it?

[@sticksandstones5372]

That is beautifully amazing. Thank you for sharing rooster.

[@rldoyle5705]

very cool thanks for your time

[@dindixie]

Too cool! Thank you for posting so we also get to see such a rare thing. And video proof for all those people saying it can't happen.

[@melissakeller3628]

I think this is pretty cool. I like watching what you do. I'm totally allergic to all 🐝. I give you kudos. Thank you for sharing what you do.

[@gullreefclub]

You got/had yourself a "Four-Leaf Clover" hive box with those two cohabitating Queens.

[@kritterkatcher1486]

What's up Rooster? No swarm competition this year? You got some of the best videos in this genre!

[@628DirtRooster]

Thanks. Swarm competition is still on but there haven't been many swarms.

[@ECP]

Hello DirtRooster love your videos... just started bee keeping... I have my first 3 hives

[@crazyboy-gz3jm]

I installed trusses 45 years ago. Just out of high school. Around 1978.

[@628DirtRooster]

Not down here.

[@williampepper9702]

Hi Randy Have ever thought about buying a electric stud finder. They find the stud really quick.

[@flyingpigpreserve8562]

Wow what a nice Hive. To bad it was in a house but you 2 got it removed. Nice way to build your Bee Operation. Peace Be With You ☮️

[@kaosinc]

1:11 2 queens near each other if I am not mistaken, 2nd queen is to the right

[@628DirtRooster]

You are correct

[@rachelg9873]

The auto generated captions think the bee vac is applause. Lol

[@Novagunner]

hEY DIRT ROOSTER! I LOVE YOUR CONTENT! Ive been watching for years!i wanted to make a quick recommendation, you should look int a product called " Zip poles" they are made to easily put up containment inside an occupied space, i use them when i paint in houses! it makes putting up containment a breeze! and take down!!

[@628DirtRooster]

Thanks for the idea! Price isn't too bad either.

[@Novagunner]

@@628DirtRooster yea! they are worth it, once you find out how much labor they will save!

[@charitablemiraclebeekeeper1200]

That's awesome! God bless ya brother One Love, Peace & Fortitude

[@williamwinsor7376]

I feel sorry for persons who have never did beekeeping. They missed the challenges and the friendship of other beekeepers and even the triumph of over fearing bees and stings. Those benches are super strong until you get a bend in a beam and then they turn into putty. It takes just a punch in the wrong place to wreck them. Great usefull things though. You should get a used scaffold for outside work though.

[@alexisgrunden1556]

I think that's called a Diarchy; a dual-ruler 'kingdom' as opposed to a monarchy. Very cool! I have no idea why the two queens would be so tolerant of each other; the closest analogy I can think of is 'brother' lions (they're not always related; bachelor prides can have brothers, cousins, and completely unrelated males who adopt each other as family) conjointly ruling a pride together. If both alphas can agree and cooperate, their pride (or in this case, hive) is that much more stable and secure. Maybe it's a biological attempt at sociological evolution, to help boost/save the species? Who knows?

[@michaelsmith7425]

I recently read an article by one of the Universities that said that 2 queens was not uncommon. That in their study 8-10 % of hives did in fact have multiple queens. One of the things they stated was that after finding "the queen", we stop looking. A good point I thought.

[@buttsbeesllc4063]

Just found double queen nuc this season. Have seen it a few time! I must bee lucky!

[@628DirtRooster]

Time to double the price of that nuc. :)

[@buttsbeesllc4063]

@@628DirtRooster DONE!:}

[@captainkirk5031]

628 Dirt Rooster Thanks too you & Mike Barry & Mr.Ed I am buying 4 complete hives tomorrow so if I need help I be calling Thx Capt Kirk Cold Lake Alberta

[@628DirtRooster]

It's like Christmas in May.

[@julieenslow5915]

Beautiful double queen nuc video and that is indeed rare. Vino Farms had it a couple of years back - two in the fall - one in the spring (without a swarm) so one did not make it through Winter. Wouldn't that be an advantage if we could convince them to take a spare into the winter with them! lol Great video - i really don't know how you got them out of that tiny space. Lovely catch of their queen - who did try to depart before her colony! lol Caught her! Mr. Ed would have loved that! Good to see you both working - do take care. Hugs from Florida.

[@rachelg9873]

Well... now I wonder why they don't do that themselves?

[@kc8wzm]

I'm a LEGO guy not a bee guy. (since they terrify me to no end) yet I enjoy watching this videos.

[@georgesmith8255]

I have to tell you guys.. it sure if it’s the fact you guys are in Mississippi… ( I’m from Mississippi also) or what… but I have so enjoyed watching this… you sir are a great entertainer and very knowledgeable… if your ever in Vicksburg let me know… you seem like a pretty cool dude..

[@daisyshoney6021]

You need a "stud finder." LOL

[@Daeyel]

Came here to say this!

[@WoolieBsApiary]

ive had that pleasure a couple of times. first one i had a marked queen and the next inspection an unmarked. all summer long i had a monster hive every inspection i found the unmarked queen. in september i found the marked one and the frame facing the one she was on was the unmarked one. i did not split them and it died over winter. now i split them when i find them.

[@628DirtRooster]

I'm surprised this is the first time I've run across it.

[@WoolieBsApiary]

@@628DirtRooster last year was the first year in maybe 5 I have not ran upon a 2 queen hive usually it's a mother daughter and moms pheromones are 2 weak to pose a treat to the virgin is what I've been told. I've read up to 20% of hives have 2 queens.

[@628DirtRooster]

Not around here. We’re in them enough to know for sure.

[@628DirtRooster]

Just so you’re aware 78% of all statistics are made up on the spot by 89% of people who claim to know anything and even the 11% of scientifically backed statistics are only correct about 4% of the time. 😉

[@VelmaJinkys]

Teamwork!!! The queens i mean!!! Haha

[@crisher1974]

I'm officially spoiled by 628DirtRooster Bees, I tried watching Killer Bee Guy video Bee-ware of Falling Honey, and i was yelling at my computer screen. it was a huge hive with lots of honey and brood...He doesn't care about the bees, I couldn't watch anymore. I love the fact that this channel cares for the bees. Won't watch another channel. #628DIRTROOSTERBEES4EVER

[@OutdoorRob]

Man that was a tight little spot! Great job!

[@paulawaldrep3760]

We'll just have to call him "Sticky finger Pete" lol! Great job!!! :)

[@mark-wn5ek]

What I'd like to know us where did you find that Yankee helper, that boy ain't from Louisiana! He's a good worker though, probably got tired of wading snow and headed south for sunshine...and bees? As for the queen and princess....I had to chuckle...one of your faithful followers always has to one up whatever you do....he has three in his hives. No doubt pulls 700-800 pounds of honey off them in the spring flow alone!

[@kareno8634]

THIS WAS *GREAT IN MANY WAYS!* Thanks! There is No Way i can see how anyone would learn by themselves. Maybe just me, Without Help of someone that Knows i'd be a mess, and so would everything else. The Construction part, tho, may be obvious, it's certain things like - Down In Wall - i'd not know what to do. ~ Practice. !? Have Bees in Outside Porch Wall, will Not trust anyone bcs lack of 'caring' in construction. They'd say - 'you put it back'. Didn't sound to me like Disassembly would be Kosher. *GREAT JOB GUYS!* >>> I'm KEEPING my BEES! = )

[@TheFezzik]

Couple of questions on this. The nubby queen cells, do those produce a "worse" queen in your experience? Also do the virgin queen abdomen seem to extend after mating and they have been in the hive for a bit? Great video and an awesome intro!

[@tammycornell1985]

Thank you

[@davidwedell6167]

Wow, really close quarters!

[@donaldsmith3048]

Well there is one thing to say! That was a SWEET WALL! You could say he was sweet when he was done with this. When he got home did his wife call him HONEY? Sorry About That Chief!!

[@tomredmond]

Thanks for the video..

[@donnierobertson3088]

Nice job

[@josephwoodall832]

The two queens was very cool I wonder if that could be recreated? Nice video.

[@cindyyoung2567]

Wow! Ive never seen that before!

[@MARSHAO1946]

Can you send or show a photo of the name of the A/C filter material you use to stuff in cracks to stop bees. I’ve looked in my area & can’t find it from quick shot you took in one of your fairly recent videos.

[@chrisr7746]

Super cool. The wings are clipped? Is this something that you need to do??

[@sappypngn]

Yeah or they can fly away. In a video way back he posted a funny comment about one of his queens flying away in the night.

[@ChrisDavis333]

Just an observation that I’ve had after watching a ton of your videos and different hive removals, it appears to me that hives that have a hive beetle problem almost always happen to be hives that are located lower to the ground or at ground level. For example this hive I s pretty high up in the ceiling, but say it was under the floor or in the front steps or something it would be at a higher risk for a lot of beetles. I’m not saying that all hives can’t get them but from what I’ve seen I’ve made the correlation that the closer to the ground the higher likelihood of an inordinate amount of hive beetles. Let me know if that has any truth or merit to it or if it’s just been somewhat of a coincidence in the removals I’ve watched. Thanks!

[@jenniferking741]

My thumb looks shorter than usual 🤣🤣🤣

[@markbryant21]

Hey randy...cool video I've had that happen a couple of times...can u tell me what cordless bee vac you used on some of your vids.

[@628DirtRooster]

Allmybees.com

[@ElvinJewel]

what leads to the one queen having blue markings?

[@628DirtRooster]

We mark them.

[@baraktzfanya3980]

There are many such colonies if you just pay attention to it.

[@patriciaferry3957]

Randy have you ever tried the OTS way of raising queens watched video were fella was getting 16-25 queen cells every few weeks

[@628DirtRooster]

I have. It works really well.

[@MyHollowpoint]

You can tell when catching the queen is a rarity because ya'll stopped and talked about it for several minutes :)

[@OklahomaBeekeeper]

Could it be there was a supercedure and they haven't decided to kill the other yet?

[@628DirtRooster]

If there was it would have been at least three weeks prior. That's how long ago this nuc was put together. There were no queen cells then and aren't any now.

[@pappykozzmo3165]

I wonder if you could find a ultra tiny GPS unit to attach to a queen to see just how far they walk in a day...

[@sentimentalbloke7586]

layer upon layer like a danish pastry

[@rohanscott6893]

Pleasant good morning, Mr. DirtRooster what exactly do you use to mark the queen the color?

[@johnpaxton1549]

I hope this isn't a stupid question but if something happens to the queen. who lays the egg for the queen cell to have another queen thank you ?

[@rebelbelle1864]

The bees will take a worker cell egg layed by the former queen and feed it royal jelly throughout the 16 days needed to raise a new queen. If a worker bee lays eggs they are unfertilized so can only lay drone cells.

[@lindiwemhlanga8776]

are those all queens

[@bigadg]

are both wings clipped on the one queen

[@curiousone2940]

What do the Queens attendants do for her?

[@fitwisetv6419]

Hey dirtrooster, I have tried using a bee vac a couple of times but what I have found is it sucks up the honey as well and the bees get covered. Have you got any hints on how to prevent this from happening?

[@pnwRC.]

He'd mentioned in a previous video that he "may" do a video about that in the future. I'd sure like to see how to unbooger a mess like that!

[@ashleyjennings4354]

new to the hobby and was wonering what you would charge for a colony and queen ?

[@elizabethbradley7621]

When you vacuum up the are you killing them or saving them for a new hive?

[@AnnaC63]

Can you explain how that bee vacuum is safe or safe-er ? I believe you I just can't picture how it works ?

[@628DirtRooster]

Low vac pressure. Pulls them in gently.

[@yoeycrack1]

Whats with the blue on the first one?

[@Macasmum]

How can you tell if a queen is mated or virgin?

[@GHumpty1965]

The Abdomen is usually very large compared to other bee's, that is a mated Queen. When the Abdomen is small but larger then the average worker bee is an un-mated Queen. Un-mated Queens are very difficult to see when they are mixed in with a fair amount of bee's. Maybe Dirtrooster has a video to show the comparesions,I vaguely remember one that did?

[@Macasmum]

@@GHumpty1965 thanks Kelly, I really appreciate your answer. I will look up his video. We have just purchased a farm and I really want to have some hives to pollinate our vegi patch.

[@prettygirl986]

hey, I have a suggestion for you, I have seen that you cut a large area and you are getting dissapointed that bees have been built the hive in a small area. So, why don't you just make a hole and put a small camera first, a small endoscope camera should cost you like $100-$150 but it gets really handy when you need it.

[@628DirtRooster]

Hi Pretty girl. We do that quite often. I've got a Milwaukee scope camera.

[@sentimentalbloke7586]

lay lady lay

[@Eric-gi9kg]

I've seen you remove queen cells dozens of times...How do you re-attach them?

[@628DirtRooster]

I lightly press them into comb or wedge them between top bars on the frames being very careful not to damage them.

[@Sera-Marie]

o I'm new so sorry for the dumbest question but how come that 1 queen had blue on her?

[@rebelbelle1864]

He marked her with a blue marker to ID her as a this years Queen; last year was green, 2018 was red, 2017 was yellow and 2016 white, acronym is Will You Raise Good Bees- White Yellow, Red, Green and Blue to keep up with age of Queens.

[@heehaw8401]

That’s a messy one!

[@larrycarson6584]

Did you stop doing ferral mite counts?

[@628DirtRooster]

Had to when all this Covid 19 stuff started it became impossible to find alcohol. Now that it's available again I'll be starting back up with it.

[@pnwRC.]

@@628DirtRooster ❤ Yeppers! I had a bottle sitting around the house. When we couldn't find hand sanitizer, I bought some 0 MG e-cig juice. I wanted it for the glycerin . I mixed a lil bit with the rubbing alcohol, & made DIY hand sanitizer. Once it was gone, I COULDN'T fin no more alcohol.

[@larrycarson6584]

Denatured alcohol in paint section

[@ljsquared3210]

how much do you usually charge for bee removal?