Do you know how to identify a bee queen

How to identify a bee queen

    The queen bee is the head of the colony, and most of the worker and drone bees are her descendants. The health of the queen bee is important to the entire hive, and if it grows old or dies without a new queen to replace it, the hive dies. In order for the hive to survive, beekeepers must understand how to distinguish queens from other bees, and mark them when they are found. Learn how to identify and mark queen bees based on behavior, location, and physical characteristics.

Method 1: Observation method

1. Find the biggest bee. The queen bee is the largest bee in the colony, and although drones are sometimes the same size or larger as the queen bee, they can still be distinguished by their size. Queen bees are longer and thinner than other bees

2. Check whether the abdomen is pointed. The abdomen of a bee refers to the back half of the body, near the tail spine. Bees have rounded abdomens, while queen bees have pointed abdomens. The queen bee can be easily identified by this method

3. Look for bees that spread their legs. Worker and drone bees hide their legs under their bodies and generally only see a small portion of the legs if viewed from above. The queen bee's legs are extended out, so she can see better.

4. Look for bees that do not have barbed stingers on their tails. There is only one queen bee per hive. If you find more than one bee that may be the queen bee, gently lift the thorax (middle body) of each bee and use a magnifying glass to observe the stingers on their tails. The spines are smooth and barbless.

Method 2: Find the right location

1. Find the larvae. Move each hive gently, looking for larvae. The larvae look like white maggots and usually come together in large clumps. Because the queen bee is responsible for laying eggs for the entire colony, it is most likely near the larvae.

Be especially careful when lifting the hive. Accidentally may kill the queen bee

2. Check the hidden places. The queen bee is generally not on the edge or outside of the hive, it is most likely in the deepest part of the hive away from outside disturbances. If it's a vertical hive, the queen may be somewhere on the bottom. If it is a horizontal hive, it can be found in the middle of the hive.

3. Observe unusual activity within the hive. The queen may be moving back and forth in the hive and may be nearby if any unusual activity within the hive is detected, such as bees or larvae gathering in uncommon places

Method 3: Distinguish by behavior

1. Watch out for the bees to make way for the queen bee. When the queen bee moves, the worker bees and drones make way for it. After the queen bee has passed, they will gather again at the place where the queen bee walked. Pay attention to the behavior of the bees starting to give way

2. Find a bee that does nothing. The queen bee is only responsible for laying eggs, which are fed by other bees in the hive. Look out for a bee that looks "lounging", it's most likely the queen bee.

3. Check if bees are feeding a bee. The other bees in the hive provide the queen with all the food she needs. Look for other bees that show concern and will feed it. Even if it's not a queen bee, it could be an immature queen bee or bee larva, but there's a good chance it will be a queen bee.

Method 4: Tag the Queen Bee

1. Pick the right paint color. Beekeepers will use a special color to mark the specific year of the queen bee's birth, which helps to quickly identify the queen bee and determine if a new queen bee needs to be replaced. Before marking, be sure to choose the right color. 

Any acrylic paint will do, many beekeepers will use model paint or paint pens.

• White paint is used to mark queens whose years end in 1 or 6.
• If the year ends with the number 2 or 7, use yellow.
• Years ending in 3 or 8 are in red.
• Those ending in 4 or 9 are in green.
• Those ending in 5 or 0 are in blue.

2. Prepare the paint in advance. If you hold bees with your hands for too long, they may struggle and even get injured, so be sure to have a marker ready before picking up a bee. Hold a paintbrush or paint dipped in paint in your other hand or on a small table next to the hive.

3. Gently grasp the queen bee's wings or thorax. Grab the queen bee's wings or thorax and lift it gently. Be very careful when grasping, if it starts to struggle, it may accidentally tear its wings or squeeze it.

Some apiaries sell a marking tool that can be used to mark the queen bee in a small plastic box, but it is not required.

4. Keep the queen bee above the hive at all times. If the queen bee falls accidentally, don't let it fall on grass or beekeeping equipment, it should fall back into the hive. So when you're done marking the queen bee, keep it above the hive at all times.

5. Apply a small dab of paint to the queen bee's chest. On the thorax between the queen bee's front legs, lightly paint a small dot with paint. This spot needs to be visible, but don't use too much paint, or the paint may dry out and stick to its wings and legs.

6. You can trim the queen bee's wing tips, but you don't have to. Some beekeepers prefer to mark by trimming the tips of their wings rather than marking them with coloring. If you choose this method, you should gently grab the queen bee, and then use a special tool to trim the tip quarter of the wing.

hint

• Check the hive regularly to make sure the queen bee is in the hive at all times.
• In addition to harvesting honey, you can also try harvesting royal jelly, which is also a nutritional product.

warn

• Always wear protective clothing when working with bees.
• If marking the queen bee by trimming the wings, only the ends of the wings should be trimmed. If you cut too much, the worker bees may think it's injured and kill it.