Evaluation of mating success and the onset of the new queen’s oviposition
Assessing oviposition is crucial to understand whether the virgin queen has been fecundated or whether the new fecundated queen introduced into the hive has been accepted and has started laying eggs.
To evaluate whether a virgin queen has been fecundated and has started oviposition, the hive should be controlled about a week after the introduction of the new queen to see if eggs are present. If eggs are present and evenly distributed, the queen mating was most likely successful. The mated queen can also be recognized by her more elongated abdomen and less "quick" movements compared to a virgin queen. After about another week you can check whether there are new, capped female brood cells, which is a definitive confirmation of successful mating.
If an already mated queen has been added to the colony, it is sufficient to check the presence of the eggs and the queen 3-5 days after the queen's addition, to verify acceptance of the queen and the onset of laying eggs.
Warnings: May depend on the regulations in force in the given country.
Please check out the B-THENET Platform for the Best Beekeeping Practices tailored to each country, co-developed with practicing beekeepers in the National B-THENET Centres of those countries (Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden).
BEST PRACTICES AND INNOVATIONS FOR A SUSTAINABLE BEEKEEPING
Ongoing | 2022-2026
- Main funding source
- Horizon Europe (EU Research and Innovation Programme)
- Geographical location
- Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden