Practice Abstract - Research and innovation

Replacing an underperforming queen

Replacing an underperforming queen is one of the key aspects for optimising apiary management and production. The most common visible, undesirable characteristics are: excessive aggressiveness towards the colony, poor oviposition activity, which results in poor colony strength and vitality.

To replace the queen:

  1. Identify the queen that is considered to be inefficient and remove it from the hive.
  2. Wait a day or two and insert a new, mated queen or a queen cell from a colony selected for the desired features.
  3. If the new queen has not already been marked, this is an optimal moment to do so.

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).

Source Project
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
Project details

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