requeening

Requeening is a beekeeping practice where an undesirable or failing queen bee is replaced with a new one. This process is crucial for maintaining a healthy and productive colony. Beekeepers typically remove the old queen and introduce a new one in a protective cage within the broodnest. After a few days, the colony adjusts to the new queen's scent, allowing her to be safely released to begin laying eggs.1

Queens are also reared for sale to other beekeepers, either for requeening existing colonies or for establishing new ones with a package of bees. A queen bee can live for up to five years, but beekeepers often replace her every one to two years to ensure optimal egg-laying efficiency. This practice is often done in the early fall to ensure the colony is well-prepared for winter.234