| If you are into beekeeping, you are familiar with | | | | about four to five frames of a small colony. |
| queen bees and the significant role that they play | | | | Remember to feed them with syrup to make |
| in bee rearing. A queen is the heart and soul of a | | | | sure that they are well nourished.o Give the |
| colony, without which the colony can't survive. | | | | breeder hive an empty dark brood comb to lay |
| There is a single queen bee per hive, and she is | | | | eggs in. Once they hatch, move larva into artificial |
| considered an egg laying machine. She's expected | | | | queen cell cups, made from the breeder comb. |
| to live for about 2 to 5 years, but most | | | | Then place this frame into a strong colony.o |
| beekeepers decide to replace the queen after | | | | Remove completed cells from the cell builder. |
| two years. Why? For better bee rearing | | | | Leave one cell behind to replace the queen. Keep |
| purposes; as the queen ages, she isn't as | | | | queen cells warm (80-94 F) until they are placed |
| productive in laying eggs. So it's better to replace | | | | in queenless hives.o For mating, choose high-quality |
| her earlier, otherwise you could have a smaller | | | | drones; 10 to 20 drones will be needed for this. |
| and weaker colony. | | | | The drones' role in the colony is to mate with the |
| Queen bee rearing can be very rewarding. You're | | | | queen, when the time comes for re-queening. |
| going to introduce a new queen into the colony, | | | | After mating, the drones will die.o Make sure that |
| and with this, you can choose to raise genetically | | | | the mating will take place during good weather. |
| strong queens that can then help you to produce | | | | Temperatures should be warm when the queen is |
| disease resistant colonies and reduce the risk of | | | | ready to mate. If the weather is not conducive, |
| pests and diseases. Here are basic tips on rearing | | | | the queen may start to lay unfertilized eggs.o |
| the queen:o Consider the following characteristics | | | | With proper queen bee rearing, the queen bee will |
| when selecting from a colony for queen bee | | | | start laying eggs in 2 to 4 days after mating.o |
| rearing: gentleness, disease resistance and pest | | | | The ideal time for queen bee rearing is during the |
| resistance, hardiness, and productivity. You'll want | | | | spring. This is the time when the nectars and |
| to have these characteristics for your colony. You | | | | pollens are plentiful. You can still raise queen bees |
| will then have less chances of stinging, less | | | | until the summer, but you shouldn't attempt to do |
| incidences of diseases and pests, a greater ability | | | | this during the fall and winter.o After successful |
| to survive the winter, and greater honey | | | | queen bee rearing, you can now mark your queen |
| production.o With queen bee rearing, it is ideal to | | | | bees. |
| start with a 24-hour old larva. Why? Queen bees | | | | Being able to do queen bee rearing on your own |
| come from the same class as worker bees, but | | | | can be one of the most satisfying and fun parts |
| after the eggs are hatched and they turn into | | | | of beekeeping. If you're good at this, you can also |
| larvae, a bee that's supposed to be the queen is | | | | save money. You can even earn some, if you |
| fed only royal jelly. That's what makes the | | | | want to make a business out of queen bee |
| difference - their diet!o Start raising "nuc" colonies, | | | | rearing. |