Queen Rearing

The days when beekeepers left bees to choose and replace their own queen bee are becoming a thing of the past. Beekeepers who take proper care of their apiary are increasingly carrying out queen rearing themselves, controlling all the key processes that take place in the hive.

Queen rearing for bees

As raising a queen bee is one of the most important processes in the honey bee colony cycle, it deserves proper attention. It may take place once a year, or even once every few years. However, it is best to replace the queen bee once a year, or even twice a year. This helps ensure a higher rate of egg laying, as a young queen bee is much more productive than one that has already been laying for some time. In addition, the presence of a young queen bee in the colony reduces the likelihood of swarming.

Before introducing a queen bee, the beekeeper needs to assess her quality. This can be done by checking that she belongs to the required bee breed and by assessing the development of her reproductive system, which determines the queen bee’s egg-laying performance.

The main queen rearing methods include:

• Jenter comb;
• Nicot system;
• transferring larvae with a grafting tool;
• swarming

Where can you buy quality queen rearing products at a good price?

To achieve strong results in queen rearing, beekeepers need experience, time and the right beekeeping equipment. You may find useful the manual “Queen Rearing”, F. Ruttner, Api-Maxi "20" for queen rearing, ApiMini for queen rearing, Api "MAX" cassette, queen marking labels. You can view the full range of queen rearing products, learn more and buy them at an affordable price on our website in the “Queen Rearing” section.