Replacement of queen bees in August: why is it needed and methods of replanting, timing

Replacing old queens is a forced process that increases the productivity of the bee colony. During the swarming of bees, a natural replacement of the queen takes place. In this case, the procedure can be carried out artificially. The replacement of queen bees in August must be carried out in compliance with key requirements. Thanks to this, she will be able to gain strength during the winter and start laying eggs by spring.

Why change queen bees?

The queen bee is considered the head of the family and is engaged in laying eggs. It differs from other bees in appearance.

As the queens in the main colonies age, their productivity decreases. To maintain the insect population, it is important to stimulate the development of young individuals that replace the old ones. Under the influence of certain factors, there is a risk of death of the uterus ahead of time. This provokes a malfunction of the hive and the subsequent death of the bees.

It is worth considering that replacing the queen in August or autumn is accompanied by some risks. So, there is a possibility of an infertile queen sharing. In this case, the bees can kill the new inhabitant of their family. Not all individuals accept new residents. The main condition for successful replanting of the uterus is the absence of open brood.

How to do it?

You can breed queens naturally or artificially. The choice of method is influenced by the experience of the beekeeper, as well as the availability of free time and funds.

Natural ways

The easiest way to replace the queen is considered the natural reproduction of bees, which is also called swarming. This method got its name because it requires the transition of the selected colony to the swarm state. At the same time, it is required to create comfortable conditions in the hive:

1. Insert 3 brood frames into the hive and cover the notch.
2. Avoid broodless frames in the hive.
3. Wait for the laying of queen cells. After that, layering should be created on them and on the new frames.

The disadvantage of the method is that it is difficult to predict when the laying of queen cells happened. In addition, their quality is not always up to par.

Another natural method of breeding and replanting queens is the use of fistulous individuals. In this case, you can predict their appearance.

This method has the following features:

1. Bees should lay aside fistulous queen cells.
2. Then you need to choose a strong, prepared family. The queen bee from it needs to be transferred to a new hive with 2 brood frames.
3. Shake bees from other frames into the same hive.
4. As a result, it will be possible to get a layer, which as a result will be moved to a new hive.
5. At the same time, bees from the old hive that have lost their queen will lay fistulous queen cells. The beekeeper needs to ensure that they are located exclusively on mature larvae.

Queen bees obtained by this method will be he althier, stronger and more productive than using the first method.

Artificial ways

To change the uterus in the hive to another, it is permissible to resort to artificial methods. At the same time, there are many options, which allows the beekeeper to choose the most suitable method. The most simple and fastest is considered an emergency method. To use it, you need to do the following:

1. Take the brood frame from the strongest family. It certainly needs to be shaken off from the bees so as not to accidentally move the local queen.
2. In the frame, in which 2 larvae should remain, remove the bottom walls. After that, it needs to be installed in a new home. Then the frame is placed in the housing of the family that was deprived of the queen bee.
3. As a result, in one hive, the queen will create a new generation of insects, and in the other, two bee larvae will soon create new queens to replace the transferred one.

It is also acceptable to use a purchased queen bee. When acquiring it, it is important to take into account a number of nuances and turn to reliable mother breeders.

Frequency and timing of replacement

A number of factors influence the frequency of replacement of queen bees. These include the following:

• climate;
• beekeeping methods;
• biological characteristics of insects;
• state of the family at a particular moment.

On average, a queen bee lives 5 years. However, after 2 years, it becomes unsuitable for laying eggs. Most often, such problems are caused by the influence of adverse factors. The older the queen bee, the more weakened the family. Therefore, experienced beekeepers try to change queens at least once every 2 years. They do this in August or autumn.In the second case, the procedure is preferably carried out in September.

How to understand that the bees did not accept the queen?

12 hours after placing the queen bee in the hive, you need to carefully open the nest and evaluate the reaction of insects to a new individual. If they sit freely on the cage and slightly raise their abdomen, this indicates that the uterus is accepted. If the bees cling to the cage and sit in a dense pile, the queen is not accepted.

Replacement of queen bees is considered a very important and responsible process, which has a positive effect on the productivity of the family. It is important to choose the right method and adhere to the peculiarities of the procedure.

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