For short term storage, queen bees can be kept in a banking frame. This is a simple device made by installing a horizontal bar into a regular frame, creating a space that is just large enough to hold your queen cages. The banking frame can be used for up to about three weeks. Queens kept […] Read more
A tweet from the Sheffield Honey Company reminded me that I should clarify the difference between queen rearing and queen breeding–and they are absolutely right. Most of us who rear queens do it to provide serviceable queens for ourselves or others. We need queens to replace those that are failing or those that have died. […] Read more
Before you begin queen rearing, it helps to understand the lingo. Authors of queen-rearing instructions often use a variety of synonyms which make a confusing subject even more difficult. Below are some of the most common terms—and their synonyms—I found in recent publications. Artificial insemination (or instrumental insemination): The manual transfer of sperm from drones […] Read more
I had a request to write about how I start queens using a two-frame mating box such as the Brushy Mountain “Queen Castle.” The Queen Castle is a standard size deep brood box that can be divided into four two-frame sections, each with its own entrance. But the following instructions could be used for any […] Read more
Many experienced beekeepers mark a queen by holding onto her legs with one hand and quickly dabbing the paint with the other hand. It looks easy and takes only a moment. But unfortunately that method does not work for me. I like to have lots of hardware between me and her majesty—not to protect me […] Read more
The term “nuc” is short for nucleus colony. A nucleus colony is just a very small colony of a few thousand bees and a queen. A beekeeper can find many ways to use a nuc. Nuc boxes, the structures that hold a nucleus colony, come in all shapes and sizes. Usually you see five-frame deep […] Read more
The Cloake board, invented by Harry Cloake of New Zealand, is a piece of beekeeping equipment used to raise queens. The Cloake board method of queen rearing is popular with newer beekeepers because it allows the beekeeper to raise queens with a minimum of equipment and very little disturbance to the hive. Cloake boards are […] Read more