Lesson 45: Requeening

Replacing a queen on purpose: when it's worth it, and the steps

Requeening means replacing a colony's queen with a new one you choose. It's one of the most powerful tools you have. The UGA bulletin calls annual requeening "one of the best investments a beekeeper can make." But beekeepers do differ on how often to do it.

Why requeen?

Young queens: - lay more eggs, building bigger colonies; - give off more pheromone, which stimulates foraging, reduces swarming, and helps suppress disease outbreaks; - are less likely to swarm or be superseded.

Requeen when: - the queen is failing: spotty brood (once disease is ruled out; lesson 42), less brood than average, or drone-laying (lesson 44); - the colony is unusually defensive, a strong reason to requeen with gentle stock, especially where Africanized bees occur (lesson 16); - you want different traits, such as mite resistance (lessons 15 and 83); - the queen is old. Laying usually declines after the first year or two.

How often? Beekeepers differ

• Every year: some beekeepers requeen annually so they always have young queens. UGA's bulletin recommends it.
• Every two years: others keep a queen for a second season if her brood pattern is still good, accepting the risk she may start to fail, often in colder months.
• Only when needed: others replace queens only when they fail, and often let the bees supersede on their own (lesson 13).

Keep records of each queen's age and performance so you can decide colony by colony (lesson 41).

When to requeen

• Spring: colonies are smallest, so the old queen is easier to find and a new queen is more readily accepted. Queens from southern producers are usually available from early spring.
• Summer or fall, after the main honey flow: requeening then avoids interrupting honey production and gives you young queens that start laying early the next spring. Queens bred in your region may only be available then.
• Avoid seasons when queens aren't available or there are no drones (if you want the colony to raise its own queen).

Your Seasonal Guide gives the timing for your area.

Requeening, step by step

1. Get the new queen first. Have the mated queen in hand (or on a confirmed delivery date) before you remove the old one. Keep her cool (not cold), out of the sun, and give her cage a tiny drop of water once or twice a day if she has to wait (lesson 46).
2. Find and remove the old queen. This is the hardest step in a big colony. A marked queen helps enormously (lesson 36). Replace the weakest queens first if you're requeening only some colonies.
3. Leave the colony queenless for a short time. Wait at least 12 to 24 hours (UGA's bulletin suggests 24 hours) so the bees realize they're queenless. Don't wait more than about four days if you can help it.
4. Check for, and remove, any queen cells the colony has started. Leftover cells can lead the bees to reject your queen.
5. Check there are no laying workers. If there are, a new queen will likely be killed (lesson 44).
6. Introduce the new queen using a candy cage, push-in cage or nuc (lesson 46).
7. Check acceptance after a few days, and look for eggs within about a week of her release.

Using a nuc to requeen

If you keep a nuc with a laying queen, you can requeen by removing the old queen, waiting a day or two, removing any queen cells, and uniting the nuc with the colony (newspaper method, lesson 47). The colony gets a laying queen and extra brood at once.

What to remember

• Young queens mean more brood, more pheromone, less swarming, and fewer supersedures.
• Requeen for a failing queen, bad temper, desired traits, or age.
• Beekeepers differ: yearly, every two years, or only when failing.
• Steps: new queen in hand → remove the old queen → wait 12–24 hours (no more than ~4 days) → remove queen cells → no laying workers → introduce → check for eggs.

Quick check

1. Give two advantages of a young queen.
2. Why wait at least 12–24 hours after removing the old queen before introducing a new one?
3. Why is spring an easier time to requeen?

Adapted from: Delaplane, K. S., Honey Bees and Beekeeping (UGA Extension Bulletin 1045, rev. 2017); UGA Bee Program, Getting Started: Honey Bee Management; Purdue Extension, Advanced Beekeeping (4-H-1059-W), "Taking Care of Your Queens" and "Requeening Methods"; Penn State Extension, An Introduction to Queen Honey Bee Development (2025); UF/IFAS Extension, Using Nucs in Beekeeping Operations (IN869) and Swarm Control for Managed Beehives (IN970).

Adapted from university Extension sources. Experienced Georgia beekeepers are reviewing these lessons. See something that doesn't match your experience? Tell us.