There can be many signs & reasons to requeen a hive. In general, it’s a good idea to proactively requeen each hive every year before they begin to show signs of needing to be requeened. It’s important to note that what may look like a failing queen is often the result of other factors. Below are the conditions when a hive actually needs to be requeened:
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!
