| Recommendations
for Successful Queen Introduction
This information sheet is designed to be a tool to help you successfully
introduce queen bees into your colonies. We offer general guidelines,
not hard and fast rules. There are many methods and types of cages for
introducing queens, and the ones that work best for you will depend on
trial and error, how convenient they are for your beekeeping operation.
The cost of the queen is generally much less than the cost of colony failure
or lack of honey production due to losing the queen during the introduction
process. The most reliable method of introducing queens is also the most
labor intensive. If you have purchased queens of particular lines, or
with particular genetic traits that you consider valuable, you might consider
using the most reliable method. |
| Preparing
the colony (pick one)
Divide/ Reunite – Most reliable
- Make a small divide (in single) from the colony you will re-queen.
The divide should have 2-5 frames of brood and lots of young bees and
no queen.
- After 24 hours look for and destroy any queen cells in the divide,
and introduce a new queen (see next page).
- Feed light sugar syrup to the divide.
- When the new queen is laying eggs (after 1-2 weeks), de-queen the
parent colony, and wait 12-24 hours
- Check for and destroy any queen cells in the parent colony. Reunite
the divide on top of the parent (using newspaper).
- Self-release the queen (see below) between frames of brood in the
divide to assure she will be accepted.
Nuc With Brood – Good reliability
- Itroduce a queen (see next page) into a 5 frame nuc, or single deep
hive body. This can be a nuc that was just made as above or one you
have made previously.
- Wait until the queen is laying well.
- Dequeen the strong colony to be requeened, and wait 24 hours
- Check for and destroy any queen cells in colony to be requeened. Remove
5 empty frames (or frames that need to be culled or frames to restock
the nuc) from strong colony.
- Place frames with brood from nuc in center of 2nd box of colony to
be requeened.
- Self-release the queen (see below) between frames of her brood.
Dequeen / Requeen – Kind of reliable
- Dequeen the strong colony, and wait 12-24 hours
- Introduce a new queen (see below).
- Cross your fingers
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| Release
method (pick one)
Beekeeper Release – Most reliable, most labor.
- Prepare the colony to receive the queen (see previous page)
- Leave cork in cage or use a cage from which the bees cannot release
the queen (sleeve cage, push in cage etc).
- Place the queen and cage into the prepared colony near brood being
careful to assure the bees will have access to feed the queen through
the screen.
- After 2-3 days return to the colony and open the cage to release the
queen. When she comes out of the cage watch her on the frame for a while
to see how the bees react to her. If the bees are aggressive toward
her put her back into the cage for another day or two.
- The queen should be laying 2-5 days after her release.
Self-release – Less reliable, less labor.
- Prepare the colony to receive the queen (see previous page)
- Remove the cork, cap or put candy tube into cage depending on the
type of cage you have. Remember you want the queen to stay in the cage
for about 3 days. Depending on the amount and hardness of the candy
and the strength of the hive you may have to put a hole in the candy
to make it easier for the bees to remove it. You may have to slow them
down which can be done by putting some freezer or masking tape over
the hole to the candy. Do not use duct tape unless you are doing the
beekeeper release method.
- Place the queen and cage into the prepared colony near brood being
careful to assure the bees will have access to feed the queen through
the screen. Be sure the release hole is pointed upward slightly so any
dead attendants will not block the exit.
- Return in 3-5 days to be sure the queen has been released.
- The queen should be laying 2-5 days after her release (unless she
is dead).
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