Bees have a natural tendency to produce queens in the spring. This is best time to stimulate queen production. That colony which is getting strong and likely to swarm is the best choice.
How long should a hive be Queenless before introducing a new queen?
Once you remove the old queen, wait at least 24 hours before introducing the new queen. You may even wait up to 2 days. However, remember that your bees will know that they are queenless and will begin to resolve their problem by raising their own queen from a fertilized egg.
How do you raise a new queen bee?
Instructions for Grafting Queen Bees
- Identify the brood. ...
- Move the larvae to the queen cells on the fourth day. ...
- Place the queen cells in a cell holding frame and install in a queenless hive. ...
- Move the Capped queen cells to a mating nuc a day or two before the virgin queen is scheduled to emerge.
