On this page

• Natural queen raising by honey bees
• Requirements to obtain good queens
• Summary of steps for queen raising
• The starter colony
• The cell builder colony
• Grafting
• Records and emergence of the queens
• Transport and distributing the cells
• Mating of virgin queens

Beekeepers often find that some honey bee colonies produce more honey than others. This can happen even though the colonies are all in the one apiary with the same conditions and types of flora. Often these production differences are a result of variations in the strain of bee and the quality of the queen in the individual colonies.

Beekeepers can change the strain (or type) of bee in a colony, by removing the queen and replacing her with a queen of the desired strain. This procedure is known as requeening a colony. Requeening is also used to replace queens that are old or have reduced egg laying capacity.

Laying queens may be bought from a queen breeder, or they may be reared by a beekeeper who has a good understanding of bee behaviour, bee handling and beekeeping.

People inexperienced in handling bees should read Safe beekeeping practices first. It is essential that adequate protective clothing, including a bee veil, is worn. Techniques for safe handling of bees should be understood before opening hives.

...read more at agriculture.vic.gov.au