🐝 What’s Happening During a Re-Queen? 🐝
These photos show a colony in the process of accepting a new queen. The white cage in the center contains a mated queen that has been introduced to the hive after the old queen was removed or replaced.
When re-queening, the new queen is not released immediately. Instead, she is placed in a protective cage inside the hive. This allows the colony time to become accustomed to her pheromones and reduces the chance of the workers rejecting or killing her.
In these images, you can see a large number of worker bees gathered around the queen cage. This is normal and is one of the first things beekeepers check when evaluating acceptance.
✅ Good signs:
- Bees calmly covering the cage
- Workers feeding the queen through the screen
- No aggressive biting or balling behavior
- Colony remaining calm during inspection
The queen is typically released after the bees chew through the candy plug or after the beekeeper confirms the colony has accepted her.
Why re-queen?
👑 Improve brood production
👑 Increase colony population growth
👑 Improve temperament and reduce defensiveness
👑 Replace an aging or failing queen
👑 Introduce desirable genetics for honey production and overwintering success
A strong queen is the heart of every colony. The workers may number in the tens of thousands, but the future of the hive depends on a single queen laying healthy, productive brood.
At Darren’s Apiary, re-queening is one of the most effective tools we use to maintain healthy, productive colonies throughout the season.
🇺🇸 Veteran-Owned
🐝 Darren’s Apiary
📍 Cleburne, Texas
#DarrensApiary #Requeening #QueenBee #HoneyBees #Beekeeping #ApiaryLife #BeeTalk #NorthTexasBeekeeping #QueenIntroduction #HealthyColonies 🐝👑🍯
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