I don’t recommend buying queens with clipped wings, nor do I recommend clipping the wings of a queen. The theory is that it will prevent a hive from swarming, since the queen cannot fly away with the swarm. However,...
This is largely a question of preference. It doesn’t generally hurt a queen to get her marked, but it does cost extra, since beekeepers have to find a queen, pick her up, and mark her. It is far easier to...
This is frustrating, but fairly common. You introduced a queen to your hive properly, following all the steps in “How to requeen”, but she wasn’t accepted. If this happens to you, here is what to do: Read “How to tell...
Queens are readily available for purchase April-September. Thus, it is best to plan to requeen during those months. Hives most readily accept new queens when there is a natural honey and pollen flow, or you are feeding the hive. So,...
Drone layers are extremely annoying. Not only are they a waste of a good hive, but they are very difficult to fix. Right off the bat, I want to communicate that even with hard work, and trying multiple methods, I’ve...
First, does your hive have eggs or larva but no capped brood? If that’s the case, the hive amost likely has a newly installed, or reared queen, and the new queen is just getting started laying. If your hive has...
Whether you are getting a new queen to replace a failing one, or to split a hive, it’s exciting! Keep in mind that most queen suppliers begin accepting orders January 1st of each year. If you are planning to requeen...
First, make sure you are able to spot eggs and larva. See “Tips for spotting eggs & larva”. If you are confident there are no eggs, larva, or capped brood, then you almost certainly have a queenless hive. The most...
Finding a queen is probably one of the most frustrating aspects of beekeeping! You are literally trying to spot one bee amongst tens of thousands of other bees, all while they run around on a frame. While there is no easy answer, I do have a handful of tricks I use after finding thousands of queens over the past decade.
Sometimes despite your best efforts, you just can’t find that stinking queen! And you aren’t alone. Many many beekeepers struggle to find queens. Even experienced beekeepers can’t always find every queen in every hive. When you are trying to requeen a hive and can’t find the queen, the method below is a bit unconventional, but typically effective!