Alas, your highness doesn’t always last very long and you may have to requeen at some point. The queen bee, like many of us, would have to be replaced at some point of her career. This task is called ‘requeening’. It may sound a bit scary, but trust us it has good benefits.
What is Requeening?
Requeening involves the process of replacing the current queen bee in the beehive with a new queen. It is recommended to do this every one or two years.
There are two ways in doing this:
- You can raise a new queen in your beehive. This includes investing in queen grafting tools and a queen cage.
- You can take the easy way in and purchase a new queen from a breeder.
When to Requeen
The queen bee’s performance affects the strength and health of your beehive. This is one of the major reasons why it is needed to be done once she is starting to decline.
The queen bee is old.
The queen bee’s lifespan is around 3-5 years, where their egg laying performance declines with age. As mentioned before, beekeepers usually requeen one to two years to ensure the queen remains healthy and efficient.
Death of the queen bee.
You will know that the queen is dead when there are no new eggs laid or larvae during inspections. When this happens, you will have to requeen as soon as possible as the colony may not be able to survive.
Efficiency
Not all queen bee’s can perform to the standard. Sometimes, you’ll find queen bees that cannot lay as many eggs as an average queen bee could.
The colony’s defensiveness.
The ‘mood’ of the beehive depends on the queen bee. If the hive is becoming more aggressive, requeening can usually solve this problem. Replacing a queen that is aggressive can help calm down the hive.
Have you requeened your beehive before? Remember, this is more crucial when your beehive is weak! A new queen can help rebuild your colony into a strong and healthy hive.
Interested in buying beekeeping tools and equipment in bulk and discounted price? For personalised advice on products and tips for beehive management, give us a call on 0488 010 840 or get in touch via email at info@bee2bee.com.au. Shop online here (free shipping for orders over $300)!
