Here is an unusual sight, one I’ve never seen before. This virgin queen, with severely deformed wings, was spotted by beekeeper James Burge in Santa Barbara, California. James explained that he was doing a trap-out for a friend. He used brood, eggs, and worker bees from another hive in the trap box so the bees […] Read more
In my opinion, requeening has become a mania. What used to be a management strategy for replacing older queens has now become the answer for every problem a colony might have. Want to boost summer populations? Requeen. Your bees won’t move into the honey supers? Requeen. Too many mites? Requeen. Too much swarming? Requeen. Nosema? […] Read more
How often are you walking past your hive when a (previously) virgin queen alights on the landing board right in front of you? And how often when she does this do you happen to have a camera in your hand? Okay, the camera was not turned on and the lens cap was still in place. […] Read more
A few days ago I stated that clipping a queen’s wings was a “barbaric” practice. In response to this comment, another beekeeper said I was emotional and irrational. He said I was overreacting because clipping wings is like cutting hair or nails—completely innocuous. For those of you unfamiliar with the practice, some beekeepers clip away […] Read more
When beekeepers make splits they frequently destroy all the queen cells except one. Other beekeepers routinely remove queen cells to prevent swarming. Others simply excise queen cells whenever they see one. To me, a queen cell is a valuable thing—something to covet—and the thought of destroying one gives me the willies. If you have 10 […] Read more
Want to hear what the queen has to say? James Graham sent the following two short clips of queens piping in his top-bar hive. He said his bees swarmed about a week ago, and he believes these piping queens are the potential heirs. The first clip is short. The second is longer, with a silent portion […] Read more
Queens can get rolled when the beekeeper lifts a frame containing the queen or lifts a frame adjacent to one with the queen. In the tight space between frames, the bees become bunched together or pressed against the comb or frame. If a queen becomes caught in a tight space or within a mass of […] Read more