1. All About the Queen

2. Queen Basics One queen per colony? The secret of finding the queen
Where are the bees giving you “the look”
Find the circle around her
Look for the wake behind her

3. Proper queen development
She needs to be well fed from hatching!
What makes a queen?
Optimal ovary development 17 days of laying
If caged before this time, ovaries stop developing, you get a skinny queen

4. The birds and the bees At 6 to 12 days old, mates with 12-20 drones
Flies fast ft up, far from home colony
Workers massage, queen exercises to move sperm 5.7 million
Never mates again
3-6 more days, begins to lay per day
Must mate within 3 wks

5. promiscuity is good (in bees)!
Genetics from many drones means some bees in the hive have a better chance of staying healthy against disease invasion
Multiple genetics means different strengths, i.e. gentleness, productivity, grooming, frugality with honey, etc.
Lack of promiscuity may result in supercedure

6. why does the queen lay eggs in supercedure cells?
reduced pheromone results in swarming, beginning with lots and lots of queen cups
Even less pheromone results in supercedure, this is why the queen lays eggs to replace herself
Inhibits ovary development in workers
Queen substance has 28 constituents from head, feet, abdomen
Virgin queens produce some, but not all
Passed by scent and touch to all bees
And back to queen

7. Queen cell vs queen cup
Communicate clearly

8. swarm cells or supercedure cells

9. Supercedure or swarm?

10. Queen math Egg hatches on 3rd day Larval stage for 5 days
Capped on day 9
Emerges in 7-8 more days
Total of days depending on location of cell, edge takes longer because it is cooler
Leave a virgin alone for 2 weeks from emergence, 3 weeks from capping

11. Should you replace your queen?
Aggressive bees
Not for noise, weather, dearth, BO, garlic, bananas, genetics
Disease: resistance, and brood break
Mites building up
Winter frugality

12. Judging the brood pattern
Reasons for a Spotty brood pattern
Inbreeding
Disease
Weather
Young queen
VSH, hygienic

13. The most perfect brood you will ever see

14. When to replace your queen
When you have a bad one
To discourage swarming
Your gambling level
Every year along with comb management for swarming
Every other year, more comb management, but can judge genetics

15. Methods for queen replacement
Use your own swarm cells
Split colonies…eggs required!
Buy a queen, fastest, but genetics?
Raise your own in a nuc outside the mother hive

16. Questions to ask when introducing a new queen
Are your bees aggressive?
Do they want a new queen?
How long have they been queenless?

17. Normal release vs. long release
remove nurses from cage!
hang cage in brood area
Make sure screen is accessible
Candy up or down?
Add brood, think like a bee
Long release is safest!
Leave cork in 3 or more days before allowing access to candy plug
Judge bees’ response to queen
Tape over candy plug
6 days or more

18. Raise your own queen Introducing eggs Good pollen flow
Good nectar flow
Feed the bees
Check every 3 days for cells

19. Drones in worker cells

20. Laying worker vs. drone laying queen
Laying workers
Multiple eggs in cells
Eggs not in centers of cells
Drones in worker cells
10% of workers will become laying workers
Drone laying queen
Only drones
Single eggs in cells (but watch out, it could be a trick)
Do the bees act like they have a queen?

21. Multiple eggs, eggs on larva, eggs not in centers of cells

22. Removing queen cells Are they swarm, or supercedure cells?
Are the queen cells capped?
Emergency cells?
Did a swarm already go?
Capped cells, but you see the queen
Number of bees in colony?

23. Marking queens Risks Rewards Damage if paint misses
If virgin, insures capture by bird
Damage by beekeeper
Rewards
See the queen
Know the age of the queen
Know if supercedure has occurred

24. Clipped queens Wing is clipped Forcing supercedure, clip a leg
Bees may see as damage and supercede
Queen does not know she can’t fly, will swarm anyway
Forcing supercedure, clip a leg

25. What to do with old queens
Retired queens as breeders in nucs
Gifting queens
Killing queens, queen juice