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How to Rear Queen Bees

Rearing queen bees is one of the most difficult skills a beekeeper can master, but it allows beekeepers more control over the genetics and temperament of their apiary. Traditional queen bee rearing uses techniques such as grafting, or transferring bee larvae, and requires specialized equipment. In the early part of the 20th century, Isaac Hopkins devised a method of rearing queen bees that required no additional equipment and encouraged the bees to do the majority of the work.

Things You'll Need

Breeder queen bee
Hive to be used as cell builder colony
Frame with wax foundation
Matchstick
Sharp knife
Nucleus colony
Wooden blocks
Cloth

Instructions

Prepare the Hopkins-style Comb
- 1
  Remove a frame from the middle of the brood chamber of the parent hive. Replace this frame with an empty frame with wax foundation. This frame will become the Hopkins-style comb.
- 2
  Close the hive and leave it undisturbed for three or four days.
- 3
  Open the hive and check the Hopkins-style comb frame. It should be full of eggs and larvae. If the queen has not started to lay eggs on the frame, close the hive and recheck it in a few days. Leave the frame in place until four days after the queen begins to fill the frame.
- 4
  Remove the frame from the hive and carry it to work area away from the apiary.
- 5
  Examine both sides of the frame. Select the side with the greatest number of appropriately aged larvae. Place that side up on a flat work surface.
- 6
  Destroy all the cells in the first three rows on the frame by score the cells at the midpoint with a toothpick and removing the cells and their contents from the frame. The goal is to leave isolated intact cells surrounded by empty space on the frame. By increasing the spacing between the cells, it will be easier to removed the capped queen cells later. Leave at least one-half inch of space between the cells.
Prepare a Cell-Builder Hive
- 7
  Place three frames of capped brood into the center of a five-frame nucleus hive and place two frames containing honey and pollen on either side of the brood frames.
- 8
  Place 1.25-inch tall wooden blocks on top of the top bars of the frames inside the hive to give the bees enough space to draw down the queen cells.
- 9
  Suspend the Hopkins-style frame with the cut side down over the top bars and cover with a cloth.
- 10
  Place an empty super on top of the hive and replace the hive cover.
Transferring the Queen Cells
- 11
  Remove the Hopkins-style frame from the nucleus hive 10 days later. The cells should be drawn and sealed.
- 12
  Cut out the queen cells from the frame with using a sharp knife being careful not to squeeze or damage the delicate cells.
- 13
  Insert a queen cells vertically between the bars of two frames in the center of the brood chamber of a queenless hive. The new queen will emerge from the queen cell on day 15 or 16 and will mate several days later. She should begin to lay eggs within three days after she mates.

Insects & Science