Begin by separating the boxes that could contain the queen. If the colony is in 2 hive bodies, place the 2nd body on an upside down telescoping lid positioned on the ground near the colony entrance. Use only as much smoke as necessary. The queen will usually be on combs containing eggs and young larvae. She is less likely to be on empty combs, combs of honey and combs of sealed brood. Spread the combs and remove a comb from the outside edge of the brood nest, and then work your way across the brood nest. Do not stare at individual bees. Look for a circle of attendants, a bald thorax, and a long tapered abdomen that is not completely covered by wings. Work quickly until you reach the area of the nest with eggs and larvae, and then examine the combs more carefully. In the first few minutes a colony is open the queen will usually be on combs of eggs and larvae. After the colony has been open for several minutes she can be anywhere including side walls, bottom board, and on any comb in the brood nest. In the early spring she will frequently be in the top brood chamber (the warmest part of the hive). In especially strong colonies, separate the brood chambers with a queen excluder 4-5 days before looking for the queen. When you open the hive to find the queen only one of the brood chambers will contain eggs, and you need not bother looking for her in the other chamber. Once you find her it is helpful to have an empty nuc box in which you can place the frame with the queen while you manipulate the colony. You will get faster with practice, and it is easiest to practice on recently hived packages and swarms or small nucleus colonies before tackling a large colony. New beekeepers should purchase queens that are marked by the shipper to make them easier to locate.
- Marion Ellis, University of Nebraska
Bee Informed Partnership