Since 2012 I have been playing a game called Queenspotting with my followers on social media. I post an image of a lot of bees and then challenge people to find the queen among the sea of workers. Think Where’s Waldo, but bees. Initially, I was just having a bit of fun, but as the game became more and more popular, I realized it was actually helping beekeepers develop an important skill: how to spot the queen bee. While it’s true that you don’t always need to find your queen, it is necessary on some occasions (such as when you’re requeening). Plus, developing your queenspotting skills is fun and will boost your beekeeping confidence. Read on for some helpful tips on how to find the queen bee.
Physical Appearance
The queen bee can be distinguished from other bees by her appearance, but she’s not as obvious as you would think. Often when I show new beekeepers the queen for the first time in person, they remark that they thought she would be bigger. Queen can vary in size, but she is usually only slightly larger than a worker bee. It’s really her shape that distinguishes her. Her abdomen is long and so are her legs. Her wings are short in comparison with her body and do not reach the end of her abdomen. Her back is bald, black and shiny.
Color
A lot of new beekeepers try to rely on color for identifying the queen. They may mistakenly believe that queens are a lighter color than the workers or they may only search for the colorful mark of paint on their queens back without ever really studying her true appearance. Yet, queens can be a range of colors and the paint on marked queens can wear off over time. Searching for your queen based only on the superficial feature of color will handicap your ability to find the queen. So, while you may have learned to find your particular queen because she is golden and marked with a red dab of paint, you might not be able to spot a queen otherwise. What if your colony were to raise a new queen, who is a different color from your original and without a mark? It’s better to look beyond her coloring and study her shape, movement and habits.
Movement & Pattern
When the queen makes her way across the frame, she seems to move with a purpose. She charges quickly through worker bees, who often move out of her way, leaving a wake of of empty comb behind her. This movement creates a visual break in the pattern of the hive. Some beekeepers are able to find their queens just by searching for this disruption. The pattern is changed also when she is still. A resting queen will have a circle of worker bees around her. It is an almost flower-like shape, each worker a petal facing the queen in the center.
Behavior
Queens are in the business of laying eggs, so the most likely place to find your queen is in the nursery. Although it’s possible, the queen is unlikely to be on frames that are entirely honey. For that reason, you should observe brood frames more carefully, especially those with new eggs on them. If you need to find your queen, you should also be fairly quick about it. Queens tend to hide if the colony feels exposed or disturbed. The longer you have your hive open, the more likely she is to flee into a corner.
Practice, Practice, Practice!
If you’re a hobbyist with only a few hives, you might not have many opportunities to practice finding your queen. Many beekeepers still struggle to develop this skill even after several years of beekeeping. Luckily, you can practice without ever opening your hives by playing Queenspotting! To play, be sure you are following me on Instagram, click here to see my account, where I often post Queenspotting pictures. You can also search the hashtag #queenspotting to see posts from hundreds of other beekeepers who have begun to play. Lastly, check out my new book QueenSpotting which includes 48 fold out Quenspotting images, even more tips and tricks for finding the queen and fun queen bee themed stories from my real life beekeeping adventures. Click here to find out more pre-order the book which comes out April 2019.
The queen looks amazing.
Great post! I am thinking of exporting Ethiopian Honey. Few ideas where to start? Thanks
Ive been told I have a queen bee nest in the roof. This is the 2nd year. They make an awful racket
Hi there! There’s no such thing as a “queen bee nest”. Each honey bee hive will have one single queen and thousands of worker bees and drones (male bees) in the colony. In EXTREMELY rare occasion a hive can have 2 laying queens but it exceedingly rare and most bee keepers go their whole beekeeping careers without seeing this! That being said what you’re hearing is the workers and drones in the hive (the female and male bees; as I stated- workers are females drones are males). I would suggest getting it removed if you haven’t already because just getting rid of the bees won’t solve the issue if the comb stays up there wax moths will start laying in the empty comb and other pests will come for the honey left behind such as roaches and ants. Also, the honey will ferment and mold it’s just a mess!! The best option would be a live removal to save the bees however if that’s not an option and you kill them you still need to remove the honey comb/hive itself for the reasons stated! Good luck!
Looking to befriend Ethiopian beekeepers. Stella Flannery fb
Nice work and very relevant seeing bee populations are being decimated.
Wow
I’m a beginner needed some help
You might like my online classes https://girlnextdoorhoney.com/online-classes/
I THINK that I was identifying the Queen in your photos! Lol. Can I safely open the queen chamber without risk of the queen escaping? Are there any special precautions to take while it is open?
Just be careful how you handle the frames. Hold them over the open hive in case the queen falls. She won’t fly out during an inspection unless you use too much smoke.
I am stumped as to what to do with my brood frame on flow hive. Do I wire it or do I wire it and add wax foundations? Do I set up (not build) the Flow hive like a Langstroth? Can I approach beekeeping like all other techniques? Why is there not Flow Hives for Dummies book? Why is there not a Youtube with step by step instructions after the construction of box? Thanks Sandra
You can treat the flow hive brood box just like any Langstroth brood box.
i have one whith golden stripes on the back
Interested in your classes of beekeeping
You can find them here: https://girlnextdoorhoney.com/online-classes/
Lovely post ,we brought down a hive yesterday and your book helped me to queen spot …mine is not a hobby as such I have a tree in my yard where bees enjoy their hobby of building hives ….your experience is just wonderful ..so much experience to build with nature