{"id":7724,"date":"2023-10-15T23:16:29","date_gmt":"2023-10-15T20:16:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cfwt.sua.ac.tz\/ecosystems\/?p=7724"},"modified":"2023-10-16T20:30:09","modified_gmt":"2023-10-16T17:30:09","slug":"how-to-breed-queen-bees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cfwt.sua.ac.tz\/ecosystems\/news\/how-to-breed-queen-bees","title":{"rendered":"How to Breed Queen Bees"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Your bee hives already have a queen each \u2013 so why create more? Well, you might want to start a brand-new hive, re-queen a hive that\u2019s lost its leader or even sell queens to other beekeepers. Raising queens isn\u2019t something to do in your first year of beekeeping, but it\u2019s simpler than it seems.<\/p>\n<p>There are a few different ways to raise queens for your bee hive:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Splitting a hive and letting the colony raise a new queen;<\/li>\n<li>Placing a frame of eggs into a queenless hive with sufficient pollen, and letting them raise multiple queen cells which you can then put into cages and wait to hatch;<\/li>\n<li>Overcrowding the colony so they prepare to swarm, building swarm cells on the outer edges of the frames;<\/li>\n<li>More complex grafting and cell punch methods.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>It all depends on whether you want one or two extra queens to start new hives or a whole group to sell or give to other <a title=\"National Beekeeping Policy Implementation Strategy\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cfwt.sua.ac.tz\/ecosystems\/news\/national-beekeeping-policy-implementation-strategy\">beekeepers<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s our beginner\u2019s guide to queen-raising \u2013 from simple to complicated:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Splitting a thriving hive<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Rn725H-PHkI\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Splitting an existing bee hive in half pushes the bees left behind to raise a new queen \u2013 and you end up with an entirely new hive with very little effort. There are a few ways to do it. You can split one thriving hive into two colonies, or take bees from two strong hives and make a third.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ecrotek.co.nz\/learn\/articles\/detail\/more-hives-more-honey\">Learn more about how to split a bee hive here.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Essentially, you\u2019ll be splitting the brood box in half. One brood box will be left with your queen, who will continue to lay. The other brood box, or new nuc, will have bees, pollen, and fresh 1-3 day old eggs. After 24 hours your queenless hive will recognise that there is a lack of the queen bee pheromone, and they\u2019ll begin feeding royal jelly to a handful of eggs. This process, of feeding royal jelly to eggs, is what turns your normal bee larvae into queens.<\/p>\n<p>Forced overcrowding<\/p>\n<p>This method creates conditions that lead to a swarm \u2013 but prevents it before it happens. During the process, you need to keep a close eye on your hive \u2013 inspect every couple of days \u2013 so you don\u2019t miss your emerging queen.<\/p>\n<p>First, restrict the space available to your bees by removing empty comb. This gives the bees less room to move, store <a title=\"Honey production sweetens snow leopard conservation in Kyrgyzstan\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cfwt.sua.ac.tz\/ecosystems\/news\/honey-production-sweetens-snow-leopard-conservation-in-kyrgyzstan\">honey<\/a>, and lay eggs, so it should prompt swarm behaviour before too long.<\/p>\n<p>As the bees prepare to swarm, they will create several queen cells \u2013 these are larger, peanut-shaped cells at the edges of the comb. Once the queen cells have been filled and capped, you can carefully cut them out of the comb and place them in queenless hives to be raised there. If you don\u2019t remove them in time, a queen could hatch and kill off the others.<\/p>\n<p>When the queen cells have been removed, you can replace the frames of empty comb and give the bees room to move again. It\u2019s also a good idea to use a swarm guard to stop the queen from leaving \u2013 if she\u2019s around, the rest of the bees will stay as well.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/LuR3JtE1oSA\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>Graft and go<br \/>\n<\/strong>Grafting involves moving larvae from standard cells to queen cells. From there, nurse bees take over and raise the larvae to queenhood in a queen raising (queenless) hive. Because you need to make contact with the larvae, it\u2019s a delicate operation that can take some getting used to. That\u2019s not to say that you shouldn\u2019t try \u2013 but it might take trial and error to get it right.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s what you need:<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ecrotek.com.au\/collections\/queen-cell-incubators\">Pre-made queen cells<\/a>:<\/strong>\u00a0you can buy\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ecrotek.com.au\/product\/QCCB\">plastic queen cells<\/a>\u00a0or make wax versions. You\u2019ll also need a cell-holding frame, which has built-in bases for the cells.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ecrotek.com.au\/collections\/grafting\">Grafting tool<\/a>:<\/strong>\u00a0you need a tool to transfer the tiny larvae from cell to cell without causing damage. Buy a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ecrotek.com.au\/product\/chinese-grafting-tool-bamboo\">grafting tool<\/a>\u00a0or try your luck with something you have around \u2013 some beekeepers use a fine paintbrush.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Queenless hive:<\/strong>\u00a0you need to set up a queenless\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ecrotek.com.au\/collections\/hiveware\">hive<\/a>\u00a0with a good number of nurse bees to care for the queen cells. Assemble an empty hive, add a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ecrotek.com.au\/collections\/frames\">frame<\/a>\u00a0or two of honey and pollen to sustain them, and shake the bees from a couple of brood frames down into the box. Do this the day before you remove the larvae, so they\u2019re settled in and ready to go.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/ecrotek.com.au\/product\/Mann-Lake-Double-Mating-Poly-Nuc-Box-with-Mating-Frames\">Mating nucs<\/a>:<\/strong>\u00a0these are like miniature hives designed for new queens. They come with brood frame for the queen to lay her first eggs, and built-in\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ecrotek.com.au\/collections\/feeders\">feeders<\/a>\u00a0to sustain her while she\u2019s in the early stages.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Getting started<br \/>\n<\/strong><strong>1.Find your brood.<\/strong>You need to know how old your larvae are to transfer them, so the first step is getting the queen to lay in a specific place. You can either place some fresh brood comb in the centre of the brood box and inspect it daily or confine the queen to one comb for 24 hours. Once she lays fresh brood, mark them or keep a record of their placement.<\/p>\n<p><strong>2.The scoop.<\/strong>When the larvae are four days old, it\u2019s time to transfer. Using your grafting tool, carefully scoop each tiny larva from the worker cell to a wax or plastic queen cell. Some <a title=\"Beekeeping for Beginners\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cfwt.sua.ac.tz\/ecosystems\/news\/beekeeping-for-beginners\">beekeepers<\/a> put a tiny drop of water in the bottom of the queen cell, to make it easier to get the larvae off the tool. Place the queen cells in your cell holding frame and pop the entire thing into the queenless hive.<\/p>\n<p><strong>3.Watch and wait.<\/strong>\u00a0Nurse <a title=\"World Bee Day 2022 in Tanzania\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cfwt.sua.ac.tz\/ecosystems\/news\/world-bee-day-2022\">bees will care for the larvae for the first few days<\/a>, then cap them around the fourth day.<\/p>\n<p><strong>4.The final move.<\/strong>\u00a0Around six days later \u2013 when the larvae are 14 days old \u2013 move each queen cell to a mating nuc. The queen should hatch a day or two later, at around 16 days old.<\/p>\n<p><strong>5.Check and observe.<\/strong>Leave the queen in her nuc for the next couple of weeks, checking frequently to see whether she has started laying. If she hasn\u2019t laid any eggs after two weeks in the nuc, she may not be viable \u2013 and you may need to start the exercise again.<\/p>\n<p><strong>6.Ready to go.<\/strong>\u00a0If your queen has laid eggs in the nuc box, your transfer was a success. You now have the beginnings of a new hive, which can be sold or used to expand your operation. If you have managed to raise more than one queen, even better.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Give raising queens a go<br \/>\n<\/strong>Raising queens is sometimes seen as an expert-level beekeeping skill \u2013 but it\u2019s more straightforward than it seems. Like any skill, in <a title=\"Beekeeping Field Practical Training in Arusha: Hands-on experience in apiary management\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cfwt.sua.ac.tz\/ecosystems\/news\/beekeeping-field-practical-training-in-arusha-hands-on-experience-in-apiary-management\">beekeeping<\/a> or otherwise, it\u2019s about giving it a go and being prepared to fail a few times before you get it right.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Your bee hives already have a queen each \u2013 so why create more? Well, you might want to start a brand-new hive, re-queen a hive that\u2019s lost its leader or even sell queens to other beekeepers. Raising queens isn\u2019t something to do in your first year of beekeeping, but it\u2019s simpler than it seems. There [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7725,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7724","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cfwt.sua.ac.tz\/ecosystems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7724","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cfwt.sua.ac.tz\/ecosystems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cfwt.sua.ac.tz\/ecosystems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cfwt.sua.ac.tz\/ecosystems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cfwt.sua.ac.tz\/ecosystems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7724"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.cfwt.sua.ac.tz\/ecosystems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7724\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8445,"href":"https:\/\/www.cfwt.sua.ac.tz\/ecosystems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7724\/revisions\/8445"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cfwt.sua.ac.tz\/ecosystems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7725"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cfwt.sua.ac.tz\/ecosystems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7724"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cfwt.sua.ac.tz\/ecosystems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7724"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cfwt.sua.ac.tz\/ecosystems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7724"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}