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5 Ways Queens Fail During Introduction

Writer's picture: Laurence EdwardsLaurence Edwards

5 Crucial Reasons Queen Introductions Fail (And How to Avoid Them)



As a passionate beekeeper, I know how important it is to successfully introduce new queens to your colonies. A failed queen introduction can be incredibly frustrating and set your hive back significantly. That's why I'm sharing the top 5 reasons queen introductions fail, along with my best tips to ensure a smooth and successful process every time.


In my years of running Black Mountain Honey, we've sold thousands of queens and learned a lot about what works (and what doesn't) when it comes to queen introductions. I'm excited to share this knowledge with you today to help you avoid the common pitfalls and get your new queens accepted and thriving.


1. Introducing a New Queen to a Colony That Already Has One


This is by far the most common reason for queen introduction failure that I see. Beekeepers often assume their colony is queenless, when in reality a queen is still present. The original queen may have swarmed but she will have left behind virgin queens to take her place.


Here's how it usually goes down: A beekeeper notices their hive is lacking eggs and brood, so they assume it's queenless and rush to introduce a new mated queen. But what they don't realise is that the colony is still queen right, just in the form of a virgin queen that emerged after the swarm had left.


When you introduce