Rearing Techniques of the Honeybee Queen

Cell Construction

• The right conditions must be present for a queen. These conditions are at the discretion of the worker bees. The first rearing of a queen requires the construction of cells. Queen eggs cells are produced with 20 potential queens. Each cell is slightly larger than a typical honey comb cell and made by beeswax. The strongest queen emerges and kills the other queens.

Royal Jelly

• Royal jelly is exclusive nourishment for a queen bee. Royal jelly is a nutrient-rich, milk-like fluid made of pollen and honey. This mixture also includes a chemical contributed from a gland of a worker bee. The jelly is rich in vitamin B and is fed to the potential queen while she is growing in a cell.

Extending The Cell

• Queen cells hang down from their attachment and are much larger than other bee cells. These cells require protection and a certain state to rear a queen. Worker bees see the hanging cells and determine if it is a queen in need of assistance. They will extend the cell to make it larger for the queen and help feed the queen as well.

Transfer of Power

• The old queen, perhaps after three to five years of life, hands over power to a new queen. She inserts her lower abdomen into a queen cell and lays eggs. Depending on the strength of the hive, 20 cells may be deposited with eggs. The worker bees will then starve the old queen by withholding food. This allows the old queen to fly. The worker bees accept her into their swarm and the old queen lives among the other bees, away from the new queen's territory.