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...
Requeening a hive is only half of the battle when it comes to getting a hive to accept a new queen! Ensuring she is accepted is critical. Remember to wait at least 5-7 days before checking back after installing a...
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...
Also read: How often should I requeen my hive? How to tell if my hive is queenless Requeening a hive with an existing hive is relatively simple. Deciding if they need to be requeened and finding the queen is a bit more...
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,...
There are a variety of ways to tell if your hive has lost its queen, and at some point, all hives do eventually lose their queen. At times they requeen themselves and we never know it, (which isn’t ideal, see...
First, verify they are actually queenless. Depending on what part of the country you are from, queens either completely stop laying in the fall or at least dramatically reduce laying. If you are in an area that typically remains above...
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...
If you have a laying queen in your hive, verified by seeing her, or you are seeing plenty of healthy eggs, larva & brood, and you are seeing queen cells, there are a few things you need to do.Read “Queen...
Also read: Queen Cells vs Queen Cups If you read most beekeeping books, they explain that swarm cells (queens being raised in preparation for half the bees & the old queen to swarm away) and supersedure cells (queens being raised...
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...
Also read: Swarm cells vs supersedure cells A queen cell is simply a cell in which a queen is actively being raised. A queen cup, or emergency queen cup as they are often called, is an empty queen cup that...
Also read: What does a good vs bad brood pattern look like? A poor brood pattern can be caused by many things. Below I’ve outlined the common causes, and how to fix them: A failing queen- As queens age, they...
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...
A good brood pattern doesn’t mean a whole hive, or queen, is in good health. But, it’s one of the indicators that the brood is overall healthy, and at the moment, so is the queen. If you are new to...
In general, I recommend proactively requeening each hive roughly every 12 months. If you requeened in the fall of the previous year, the fall of the next year is fine. The same goes for spring. Check out our article on...
