Her Majesty the Queen(s)

04/23/21

Introducing the new royal members of the Nob Hill Apiary

Prior to losing our weak hive, we had already ordered 2 new queens for the hives. Most beekeepers will only keep a queen a couple of years to keep the laying consistent and prolific. We made the decision to requeen for a couple of reasons: 1) Hive B, the hive we lost, was weak from day one. Before losing the hive, we were hoping that adding a new queen would breathe new life into the hive and bolster its productivity. But now that we lost the hive and the other hive is massive and needs splitting, it’s fortuitous we already had a queen waiting in the wings. 2) For Hive A, they were getting increasingly “spicy.” Changing queens will not only introduce new genetics, but depending on the stock, can bring a calmness to a hive. These 2 gals are Italian Golden Cordovan. The are a bit gentler than their cousins and do well in warm climates. Simply introducing a new queen to a hot hive can often change the energy immediately, which is our hope.

When ordering and receiving a new queens, they come in small boxes such as these, with or without attendants. In the hive the queens have a retinue which is a circle of workers that groom and feed her. These queens did not come with attendants so it is our job to make sure they have water and honey. This is done by lightly rubbing a small amount of each onto the holes of the mesh. These boxes will be just suspended in-between two frames (pushed in the comb) within the respective hives. This allows the hive itself to get used to the new queen’s pheromones. The bees will eventually eat through a candy plug and release her so she can start doing her job laying eggs.

So cheers to our new top ladies of the apiary.

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