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How Does Queen Bee Breeding Work?

The process of breeding queen bees is based on a precise selection method that ensures the best queens for a strong and productive colony.

1. Selection of Queen Cells

Queen cells are special structures built by worker bees to raise new queen bees. Beekeepers carefully select these cells to ensure optimal genetic selection.

2. Feeding with Royal Jelly

The larvae inside the queen cells are fed exclusively with royal jelly, a protein-rich food that stimulates the growth and development of the queen.

This stage is crucial since the quality of nutrition directly affects the queen's strength and longevity.

3. Formation of Mating Nucleus

After birth, virgin queens are placed in a mating nucleus, a small support colony where they prepare for their mating flight.

4. Mating Flight

Virgin queens leave the hive for their mating flight, during which they mate with multiple drones.

After fertilization, they return to the colony to begin laying eggs.

5. Selection of Fertilized Queens

Once the mating flight is completed, the queens are carefully monitored to assess their egg-laying capacity and disease resistance.

Only the best queens are selected for online sale.

Online Queen Bee Sales: What Are the Benefits?

Queen bee breeding with Apicoltura Laterza offers numerous advantages for both beginner and experienced beekeepers:

• High-quality queens: Carefully selected through a rigorous genetic selection process.
• Resistance and productivity: Each queen ensures a strong, long-lived, and productive colony.
• Possibility to buy online: Thanks to online sales, you can receive your selected queens directly at home.
• Technical support: We provide assistance to beekeepers for the best integration of queens into their colonies.

How to Integrate a New Queen into the Colony?

When purchasing a new queen, it is essential to introduce her correctly into the colony to ensure successful replacement.

1. Preparing the Hive

Before introducing the new fertilized queen, it is essential to remove the old queen if present.

2. Inserting the Queen in a Cage

The new queen is placed in a cage with a small amount of royal jelly

3. Colony Adaptation

Worker bees need a few days to become accustomed to the new queen.

To facilitate this process, the cage should be placed in the middle of the brood frames and left there for at least 48 hours.