4 Simple Steps to ReQueen a Queenless Beehive

An established beehive suddenly becoming queenless is not an uncommon phenomenon. To save the rest of the colony, a beekeeper must know how to requeen a queenless hive properly.

I lost a queen from a well-established hive so many times. Then I requeened the hive and successfully saved the colony several times.

Yes, a couple of times this thing didn’t work effectively, and I lost my colony those times. But in most cases, it works, and I was able to save my queenless hives.

That’s what I am going to share with you in this post. I will guide you with 4 simple steps about introducing a new queen to a queenless hive.

Also, I will share the 6 ways you can get a new queen to requeen a queenless beehive.

 

 

 

What Is A Queenless Hive?

Simply, a honey bee hive that doesn’t have a queen alive is called a queenless hive. A hive becomes queenless when the queen of the colony dies or is removed by the worker bees.

A hive having a queen is queenright, and without a queen is queenless.

 

The queen is the only reproductive source of a colony. She lays eggs from which new queen, drone, and nurse bees are produced. So, the loss of the queen may destroy the colony.

 

 

What Does A Queenless Hive Look Like?

First of all, a queenless hive won’t have any reproduction. So, the first sign of a queenless hive is that there are no eggs or larvae on any frame for so many days.

In case you see a few broods and larvae for a few days. It could be that the queen laid the eggs before she died.

When these brood bees grow up and you see that there are no new eggs. This is a strong sign of the hive becoming queenless.

Usually, the queen is larger in size than the other bees present throughout the colony. So, when the hive becomes queenless, you won’t find a single bee that is larger than all of the other bees.

 

You will also notice a decrease in population in the honey bee colony. Because there are no newborn bees, and old bees will die with time.

 

 

 

What Happens To A Queenless Hive?

A hive becoming queenless is the main reason for a colony becoming weak. First of all, the worker bees will try to raise a new queen from the eggs and larvae that the old queen laid.

If there exists a queen cell filled with fertilized eggs, nurse bees will start to feed one of them with royal jelly. Then they will grow this brood as their new queen.

If they were unable to requeen the hive, then the colony would become weak. With time, the colony will be destroyed soon. Because there will be no new generation that can keep the colony growing.

You probably know that the entire colony runs via the pheromone released from the queen’s body.

There is no pheromone, meaning no distribution of work. Also, the worker bees who went out to collect pollen and nectar will lose their way back to the hive.

So, day by day, the number of colony members will decrease. The colony becomes weaker day by day and will be destroyed.

 

 

 

Why a Beehive Become Queenless?

You know a beehive becomes queenless when the queen dies or is removed. Several reasons are possibly responsible for the death of the queen.

These can include any one or more of the following.

• Disease or pests: The queen may die due to infestations like varroa mites or diseases such as AFB.

• Beekeeper intervention: Beekeepers sometimes remove the old queen to introduce a stronger one and improve colony genetics.

• Worker rebellion: If the queen underperforms or tries to dominate, the workers may kill her, as colonies operate like a democracy.

• Swarming: When the hive becomes overcrowded, the old queen leaves with some bees to form a new colony elsewhere.

• Queen loss during development: If the new queen larvae in the old hive die, the colony is left without a queen.

There could be any other reason for a hive becoming queenless. But these are the major reasons behind it.

 

 

 

Why Is Requeening Important?

You know the queen is the only member of the colony who can mate and lay eggs. So, if there is no queen, it means there is no future generation. Also, work among workers is distributed by the pheromone released by the queen.

No queen means no pheromone. As a result, there will be a devastating situation throughout the whole colony.

When a hive becomes queenless, the worker tries to create a new queen from the existing eggs. But it won’t work every time. So, waiting for direct queening is totally risky.

That’s why to save a colony, a beekeeper must try to requeen a queenless hive instead of waiting for direct queening.

 

 

 

When To Requeen A Queenless Hive?

It depends on you when you want to requeen a queenless hive. But my personal recommendation is to wait at least 48 hours after the hive becomes queenless. When the colony understands the importance of a new queen, then you should approach to requeen the hive.

If you notice eggs and larvae in the frames, you can leave the hive without a queen for 1 to 2 weeks. This gives the bees a chance to raise a new queen on their own.
If they fail to do so after that time, you should introduce a new queen to the hive.

You should keep in mind that the best time to requeen a queenless hive is during warmer seasons.

During winter, it becomes very tough to introduce the new queen to the queenless hive. Because there was less chance that the bees would accept the new queen during winter.

Also, during fall, there is a scarcity of food, and bees are very aggressive. So, introducing a new queen to the hive during winter can be difficult.

So, try to introduce a new packaged queen to any queenless hive during late spring, summer, or early fall.

 

 

 

How To Requeen A Queenless Hive In 4 Simple Steps

When I lost a queen from one of my hives for the first time, I became very disappointed. Because I see my colony becoming weaker, and bees is reducing with time. The worst thing was that my first queenless hive appeared during winter.

An expert beekeeping team in my region, from whom I learned beekeeping, helped me to handle this.

I have tried to requeen the hive during winter but failed that time. Because after purchasing a queen cage, I directly introduced the queen without consulting with the expert beekeeping team.

There is already a lack of nectar flow during winter. There is also a lack of fertilized eggs. The colony has a really tough time fighting the cold.

During this situation, they were probably unable to accept the new queen and kill it.

After a few days, all of the bees died, and my hive became abandoned. I was very much frustrated, but my beekeeping team inspired me. They show me exactly how to requeen a queenless hive properly.

After that, I started a new colony on that previously abandoned beehive. Then, whenever any of my colonies become queenless, I was able to introduce a new queen to them properly. As a result, I am now able to successfully save my colonies.

To requeen a queenless beehive, I followed 4 simple steps. Now let’s learn how to introduce a new queen to your queenless hive.

 

 

To requeen a queenless hive, you will require the following elements.

1. A new queen cage.
2. A needle.
3. Sugar Syrup.
4. A Protective Gear For Safety Purposes.

 

 

Step-1: Find The Reason Behind Becoming The Hive Queenless

It is a must to identify the reason behind the hive becoming queenless. If the queen dies because of any disease that can spread throughout the colony. There is a high chance that other bees are already infected.

Under such circumstances, introducing a new queen won’t be beneficial. The new queen will also get infected and will die. 

So, if the hive has any poisonous disease, cure the disease. If you find your entire colony is poisoned and is not curable. Then you have no choice but to destroy the entire colony.

 

 

 

Step-2: Leave the Colony For 1 Week After It Becomes Queenless

When the hive becomes queenless, the worker bees require some time to understand what they need to do. As there is no queen so there will be no pheromone. They will feel the need for a new queen for their colony. This will enhance the chance of their accepting a new queen.

They will try to requeen the hive on their own from the eggs laid by the old queen. But if there is no queen cell, they might forcefully select a worker cell to produce a new virgin queen. This may not going to be good.

This will result in a weak queen and a weaker colony. So, during this period, you should order a new mated queen.

You can order a new queen from any online store or collect it from your nearest beekeeper.

 

 

 

Step-3: Introduce The New Queen To The Queenless Hive

This is the main step of requeening a queenless hive. You should have a new mated queen cage that you are going to install.

 

After having the new queen cage you shouldn’t keep her so long in the cage. So, try to introduce her to the hive as soon as possible. You can requeen a queenless hive by following the steps below.

 

• Remove weak queen brood: Sometimes workers raise a queen from a regular worker cell, but these queens are usually weak. Use a needle to remove her from the hive and squeeze her. It may seem harsh, but it’s necessary for the colony’s overall health.
• Prepare The Queen Cage: You have a queen cage with a candy plug at the end of it. If the candy plug is covered by plastic or cork, remove it using a needle.
• Place the queen cage correctly: Put the new queen cage in the middle of two brood frames. This helps her start laying eggs where it’s needed most. Make sure the candy plug faces upward, and leave a small gap between the neighboring frames for the cage to fit properly.
• Do not open the queen cage yourself: Always place the queen cage sealed. If released too soon, the workers may reject and kill her. If needed, attach the cage to the middle of a brood frame using a rubber band. Place the band on the side of the cage, not above or below, as it could harm the queen. If possible, avoid using rubber bands altogether.
• Don’t Interrupt: Now close the hive and don’t interrupt them for weeks after giving foods to them.

 

 

 

Step-4: Feed Sugar Syrup And Live Them Alone

After installing the queen cage, the first thing you have to do is feed them sugar syrup. Then leave the colony alone on its own.

As worker bees already feel the absence of the queen’s pheromone, they are eager to get a new queen.

So, when you introduce the new queen cage, the queen will start releasing pheromones. The nurse bees around the queen cage will slowly accept the new queen. They will spread the new queen’s pheromone to the entire colony.

Slowly, the entire colony will accept the new queen. Then the nurse bees will eat and chew through the candy plug and release the queen bee.

Then the queen bee will start to lay eggs and produce a stronger generation. So, a queenless hive will become queenright.

As a result, you will be able to save a colony from destruction.

 

 

 

 

How To Tell If Hive Has Accepted The New Queen

The workers need some time to accept the new queen. When they accept the new queen, they will chew the candy plug. So, the new queen will be released from the cage.

This is the main indication that a hive has accepted the new queen.

 

 

After getting outside the queen’s cage, the queen starts laying eggs on the brood nests. The nurse bees start taking care of the queen and the new larvae. Thus, they properly accepted the new queen as their colony member.

 

 

 

How To Requeen A Queenless Hive During Winter

If a hive becomes queenless during winter, the colony definitely has a worse time. Because it’s so tough for a queenless hive to survive the winter. If possible, requeen a queenless hive before winter.

If the hive becomes queenless during winter, then wait at least until spring.

If you see the urgency of requeening the hive during winter, at least don’t do this on a very cold day. Do it on a comparatively warmer day.

Make sure the temperature is at least 20° Celsius. Then, following the above-discussed method and hive inspection rule, requeen the hive.

But after requeening the hive during winter, don’t feed the bees sugar syrup. Instead, try to feed them sugar candy or cakes. Don’t feed them any liquid foods.

 

 

 

6 Ways To Get A New Queen To Requeen A Queenless Hive

Hopefully, from the previous section, you know how you can requeen a queenless hive. Now I am going to discuss with you the 6 different ways to manage and introduce a new queen to a queenless hive.

 

1) Splitting A Beehive

When you see that one of your colonies has 2 queens. That means one is the old matured queen and the other one is the newly-born brood queen.

The old queen will kill the new queen when she finds her. So, before the old queen kills the new queen, you can split the hive.

Then, take a small portion of the split hive containing one of the two queens and introduce it to the queenless hive. Make sure both hives have one queen in each.

 

 

2) Combining With Strong Colonies 

You can combine the queenless hive with other strong hives which has a comparatively smaller population. Make sure to combine the queenless hive with two strong colonies so that they don’t become overpopulated.

 

 

3) Converting Worker Larvae Into Queen Larvae

This procedure should be followed only when you are unable to manage a mated queen. Using a needle, take away one of the worker larvae from the brood cell. Then place her in the place of the queen larvae cell, which is empty.

 

 

4) Introducing New Broods

You can also introduce a capped brood frame of another hive to the queenless hive. The nurse bees will raise the broods, and there is a chance they will raise a new queen from those broods.

 

 

5) Purchase a Queen Cage From an External Source

This is the safest method of requeening a queenless hive. You can purchase a new strong mated queen from online or from the nearest beekeeping association.

They will provide everything you need to properly install the new queen to the queenless hive.

 

 

6) Catch A Swarm And Merge It

You can also catch a swarm of bees from trees or other locations. Then, install and merge the swarm containing the queen to the queenless hive.

You can even build your own swarm trap to catch a swarm.

If you caught a large swarm, then merge a small portion of the swarm with the queen to the queenless hive. And merge the rest with any other colony.

 

I would always recommend you to get a strong mated queen for requeening a queenless hive. Because a weak queen or converting a worker as a queen is not going to be effective.

A weak queen will lead a colony to become weaker. So, try to get a strong queen from any bee supplier organization to requeen a queenless hive.

 

 

 

Frequently Asked Questions

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Beekeeping is not a rocket science. You have to be patient and follow proper rules before doing anything with your honey bee colony. Hopefully, now you know how to requeen a queenless hive and save the bees.

Don’t forget to let me know in the comments how you are managing the new queen. I would appreciate any of your suggestions about requeening a queenless beehive through the comments.