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How to Remove a Failing Queen Honeybee

The queen of a honeybee hive keeps the entire colony humming. When the queen tires or becomes ill, the entire colony suffers. A healthy queen emits pheromones that direct all the workers in the colony. She lays eggs for the next generation of workers and drones. According to The University of Delaware, a queen can lay between 1,500 and 2,000 eggs every day for up to five years. When the queen no longer lays eggs or emits fewer pheromones, the beekeeper may need to remove and replace the failing queen. This is called re-queening the hive.

Things You'll Need

Bee smoker
Bee veil
Gloves
Caged, mated queen
Nail
Wire

Instructions

- 1
  Choose your time to re-queen your hive. According to the University of Kentucky, re-queening during the spring is least disruptive to the workers. During this high nectar season, the colony experiences less stress and will accept a new queen with little resistance. Opening the hive in the morning, when many workers are gathering nectar, also reduces stress.
- 2
  Fill the smoker and put on bee protection garb including a bee veil. Tuck your pant legs into your socks. Tuck your shirtsleeves into your gloves. Smoke the bees to calm them.
- 3
  Find the failing queen. According to the University of Kentucky, there are several signs that indicate a failing queen. The queen herself changes color as she ages, becoming darker. Her abdomen may droop after laying hundreds of thousands of eggs. Her wings appear frayed, leaving her unable to fly with a new drone. In addition, a failing queen lays fewer eggs.
- 4
  Remove the queen and kill her.
- 5
  Locate and destroy any queen cups or queen egg cells. These elongated egg cells contain virgin queens that may fight the newly installed queen for dominance.
- 6
  Poke a hole through the queen candy on one end of the queen cage with a nail.
- 7
  Place the queen in the hive. Insert a wire through the cage and hang the queen cage between two frames on the hive.
- 8
  Check the hive after three days to make sure that the workers have eaten through the queen candy to release the new queen. Look for newly laid worker egg cells. Locate the queen herself and check her acceptance by the new workers.

Insects & Science