Harbo Bee Co.

INTRODUCING AN ARTIFICIALLY INSEMINATED QUEEN WHEN SHE HAS NOT YET BEGUN TO LAY EGGS.

If you order an AI queen which has already been laying eggs, she can be introduced as any other laying queen. However, when introducing an AI queen which has not begun to lay, she will need to be introduced more slowly. Keep her caged in her nuc until she begins to develop her ovaries which is indicated by calmer behavior and less aggression by the workers. The following describes how we introduce AI queens but it is by no means the only method. The main theme is, “don’t release the queen too soon.” 

·      Introduce the queen into a nuc rather than into a full-sized colony.

·      Use a nuc that has been queenless for at least 24 hours.

·      The nuc should have brood and a high proportion of young bees.

·      Put excluder material over the entrance.

·      Leave the queen caged in the nuc longer than you think is necessary--at least 5 days, and check for queen cells before releasing.

·      If the queen is very active or if the workers are biting on the cage, don’t release her.

·      Watch her as you release her onto a frame of brood, and re-cage her if she is runny or is drawing too much attention by workers.

·      Five or ten minutes after releasing the queen, slowly reopen the nuc and check her again.

·      She should be calm, perhaps being fed by a worker and moving without having any workers chasing her.

·      If not, re-cage her for 2 more days and try again.

Once an artificially inseminated queen begins to lay eggs, she can be treated just like any other mated queen

Last updated on December 15, 2020 by web admin