Pheromone recipe needed asap

I have to squash my fav laying up a storm queen tomorrow. She broke a leg and can’t lay any more. Bit of a disaster for her colony just before winter break and a flow on right now.
Will deal with her colony in a way, but she still has the most faithful girls attending to her.
However, I urgently need a recipe for creating a pheromone attractant out of her. Can’t bear to let that sort of commitment she created go to waste.
Does anybody have anything on this?

So sorry, what bad luck. I believe @Dee knows what to do

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And @Dawn_SD!

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Just drop her into rubbing alcohol, high proof unflavoured vodka or isopropyl alcohol. Your local pharmacy or liquor store should have something appropriate. :wink: Make the alcohol volume as small as possible to keep the potency high. :blush:

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Thanks Eva. That’s already 2 options. The flow forum is awesome.

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I know lots of people do this. Do you have any idea if it works?
I prefer to think that bees like boxes that smell of bees so I paint the inside of my bait hives with propolis, leave an old empty brood comb inside and dot a couple of top bars with lemongrass oil.
Works every time

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Anecdotal evidence of one or two tries with getting a swarm to stay - they did. But they might have anyway. Perhaps @Michael_Bush has more extensive experience of “queen juice”?

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Coincidentally, I have this odd small round blue bottle of ‘Ocean organic Vodka’, 50ml, 40% alc/vol, 80 proof. From Maui.
It just lends itself to having a queen dropped in for preservation.
What do you think Dawn? 50ml is too much?

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I would pour 40ml into a glass for yourself, and the remaining 10ml should be perfect. I keep mine in the freezer, with the queen in it. I actually used isopropyl alcohol and an empty (never used) essential oil bottle, but the concept is the same. :blush:

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Sure I have to discard, aka drink, 40ml?
Eww. Love that bottle though. Made for phero juice.

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You could donate it to somebody who likes it! :blush: That bottle is a work of art. Just make sure that the vodka is not flavored - you don’t want other essential oils (aka pheromones) messing with your queen’s products.

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It sure is not flavored, but made with fresh water from an underwater spring 4000 feet under sea level. Labeled organic and made by sea spirits company in Hawaii. Guess the sugar cane is not GM, but how on earth they found non GM sugar cane on Hawaii, I have no idea.
Pretty set this is the solution for this great queen.
So, I just discard say, 30ml, and drop her whole into the remaining 20ml? Then freeze the lot?

Should be fine. By the way, so far, cane sugar is never GMO. :blush: They haven’t engineered it, yet… :wink:

What a relief that. Good to know.
I might take 15ml then. Still have 20 hours or so.
Who knows what kind of recipes are still coming.
Should I leave her whole? Sure will look nicer, and I assume her essence will infuse over time anyway.

I would, and I believe that @Dee and @Michael_Bush do too. :wink:

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Then apply to your pulse points for a good night out lol :joy:

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Have you tried setting the leg?

Sorry couldn’t resist that one

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Would have loved to set that leg. Instead I watched that queen limping for almost 3 months. Indeed, most amazing to watch her loyal attendants trying to be increasingly helpful in getting her bottom down into the cells. She does indeed manage to lay about 10 eggs/day.
My supplier replaced her, but I couldn’t kill her, so gave her a frame in a separate box, giving her a frame of brood once in a while.
Her replacement is doing great, full box of bees by now, 6 full frames of brood, rest pollen and honey. We have a strong flow on and I might have to add an ideal, prob not the time to add the flow box. But have to add something, since I now stop removing brood frames. She’s a carnie.
Anyhow, in a few hours broken leg queen will float in 10ml of vodka in a very cute round blue bottle. Just once I work out where to employ the spare 40ml of vodka.
Too late to set that broken leg, can’t find it.

Wish I lived next door. I could come round and take care of that very quickly for you! :blush:

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