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Maintaining and managing bee colonies
Selecting and replacing queen bees and managing bee swarms can help you maintain a successful bee colony.
Queen bees
You can best maintain colonies with a docile strain of young queens. Docile strains are valued for their high honey production and are less likely to swarm.
The queen is the only fertile female in a honey bee colony and is responsible for maintaining a strong worker bee population. Bee colonies naturally replace an older queen bee with a daughter queen but this can lead to an aggressive colony that is vulnerable to disease, low levels of honey production and ineffective pollination. Therefore, you should replace queen bees regularly to maintain workable productive colonies and enhance disease resistance.
When you purchase queen bees from reputable and accredited breeders, consider the temperament, docility, colour, productivity and disease resistance of the queen. Introduce new queens into the hive during spring, summer or autumn and ensure access to nectar and pollen flow. Kill old queens a day prior to replacing them.
Queen cells
Queen cells contain pupating (larval) queen bees. The queen bee larva emerge approximately 2 days after the eggs are laid. Using a small foam cooler box containing sawdust or wood to move queen cells will reduce vibration and extreme temperatures. Introduce the queen cell as soon as possible. Place the cell between 2 ealed brood frames that are held in place by gentle squeezing of the frames where the top bars hold the plastic cell cup. You should protect the cell from being squashed and avoid disturbing the hives for at least 3 weeks.
Mated queens
Mated queens are ready to start laying immediately upon introduction. They are sold in a mailing cage, which contains a queen candy plug. Once the worker bees are accustomed to the queen's odour, they chew the candy to release her.
Queens that have been travelling in the mail or in a cage for several days will need 2–3 drops of water on the cage gauze. It is important to avoid exposing any cage to hot vehicles or areas with ants or pesticides.
Place the cage into the centre of the brood nest and wedged between 2 frames with the candy end tilted up slightly to prevent dead escorts from blocking the exit. The gauze may face up or down, but ensure honey does not leak over the cage and drown the queen. Avoid disturbing the hives for at least a week.
Queen bee suppliers
Queen bees may be purchased from the following suppliers as queen cells or as mated queens ready to start laying immediately upon introduction.
Name | Address | Contact details |
---|---|---|
Brett Dean |
63A Quinlan Road TAMAREE QLD 4570 |
(07) 5483 6606 0439 180 405 |
Dewar Apiaries |
Lake Moogerah Road MS 461 KALBAR QLD 4309 | (07) 5463 5633 |
Howard Kirby |
10 Cadiz Street BRAY PARK QLD 4500 |
(07) 3205 5178 0416 283 120 |
Denmar Apiaries |
PO Box 303 MURGON QLD 4605 | (07) 4169 0064 |
Morayfield Apiaries |
27 Oakey Flat Road MORAYFIELD QLD 4506 | (07) 5498 6676 |
Ken Olley |
84 Logan Road CLIFTON QLD 4361 |
(07) 4697 3222 Fax: (07) 4697 3522 |
Paul Marsh, Bee2U |
PO Box 502 SARINA QLD 4737 |
(07) 4950 4225 admin@bee2u.com.au |
Managing bee swarms
A bee swarm is a round or oval mass of bees seeking a place to start a new nest under the direction of a queen. Swarming bees are usually placid and unlikely to sting when left undisturbed.
Swarms naturally occur in spring to early summer. You can collect swarms to populate spare hives and this will reduce the risk of nuisance bees establishing a hive in nearby buildings and trees. As a beekeeper, you should manage your bee colonies to prevent swarming. You should take responsibility for a swarm that has come from one of your colonies and whenever possible capture it as soon as it has formed into a cluster. Contact our Customer Service Centre for advice about handling swarming bees.
- Last reviewed: 18 Jul 2016
- Last updated: 23 Sep 2020