Arrival of Queen Bees and Introduction

On this page you will find important information on:

what to do when queens arrive
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how to store them if you cannot use them immediately
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how to make a correct introduction to obtain maximum acceptance

It is the result of many years of experience and constant dialogue with our customers throughout Europe, the UK and Canada.
We invite you to read it carefully so that you can obtain the best results from Melita Bees queens.

Arrival of the Queen Bees

We guarantee 100% live queens upon arrival, so even in the event of a delayed delivery, always accept the shipment.
Open the package immediately and check that the bees are in good condition. At the beginning of the season, when temperatures are still low, it may happen that bees exposed to the cold appear dead.
Before drawing conclusions, place them in a heated room or near a heat source (preferably in an incubator). The optimal temperature is between 25 and 28°C (77-82°F).
Only after leaving them in the heat for a few hours will you be able to evaluate the health of the bees.
If there are dead queens, report it immediately by email, attaching a small, good-quality video showing you clearly inside the cages. We will refund you or replace the lost queens in the next shipment, depending on what you prefer.​

​How to Care for Your Queen Bees

If the queens cannot be introduced immediately, the bees must be rehydrated: place a damp cloth over the cages left upright in the box. In this way they can be kept in excellent condition for several days (with a temperature of 25-28°C - 77-82°F).​

General Rules

The best acceptance is obtained by introducing queens into new colonies populated by young bees. Therefore, form the new nucs by taking 1 comb of nascent brood and a comb of supplies with their bees in the central hours of the day, when the foragers are outside the hive. 
When introducing the new queen, in the absence of nectar harvest, feeding with 50% sugar syrup improves acceptance.

Introduction  for a few queen bees

It is not necessary to remove old queens early. This sometimes makes orphaned bees more nervous and stimulates the breeding of queen cells. Delaying the release of the queen from the cage is a good practice that greatly improves acceptance. The queen should never be released before 3/4 days. For small quantities, just introduce the cage with the flaps closed, and open the flaps after 3/4 days (without releasing the queen).​

Introduction of many queen bees

For larger numbers, once the two tabs have been opened, cover the fondant with paper tape on which you will make two small holes with the corner of the hive tool, corresponding to both openings on the candy. This will delay the consumption of the candy and the exit of the queen bee by 24/48 hours and it will not be necessary to go back after 3/4 days to open the tabs.

Acceptance control

Disturbing the bees when the new queen begins to lay eggs (4th/6th day after introduction) can kill them. Therefore, always check for acceptance after 8 days (but before 10 days). If there are royal cells, destroy them and check again after another 8 days. Destroy the cells up to 3 times, if necessary (some breeds of bees do not easily give up raising their own queen). If, even when the daughter bees of the new queen are born (at least 25 days after introduction), royal cells are still present, the queen has most likely suffered during the journey and needs to be replaced, but this happens very rarely.

See Some Examples