How Do I Manage Russian Bee Hives?

Split the hive of the Russian bees in two using a double screen. Russian queens secrete a different odor than other types of bees, and they normally do not accept newcomers. Beekeepers who intend to manage Russian bee hives must ensure that the hives consist of purely Russian bees. The double screen allows the odors to mix with bees of other breeds but will prevent the workers from interacting with the queen bee. The separate entrance will only allow young nurse Russian bees to enter the top portion, while the older foraging bees stay at the lower hive.

Wait for seven to 10 days and release the Russian queen bee from her cage to permit her to lay the eggs for four weeks. This will provide her ample time to manage the entire colony. You can order Russian queen bees from other professional breeders. They usually come in the mail in cages that are made of wire-mesh and wood. The exit hole of the cage is chunked with a hard candy-like substance. Allow the bees to eat through this to release the queen. It may take several days for the new queen to acquire the "odor" of the colony and to be readily accepted by the worker bees.

Mark the queen with paint to distinguish her from the succeeding generations. Use a small paintbrush and lightly dab it on with white paint. Apply the paint directly onto the lower end of the queen's body. Hybrid bees have the tendency to lose their traits over subsequent generations. If your queen is unmarked, she will become home-grown and a new generation of hybrid must be replaced with a new queen to preserve the hive.