Shipping and introduction of queens

A queen costs what she costs, and the colony receiving her kills her in five minutes if you introduce her badly. This category is what prevents that.

Why the candy is not a detail

The cage has a candy plug the workers have to eat through from outside to release the queen. That gives two or three days of coexistence with the queen confined, and in that time the colony gets used to her pheromone and stops treating her as an intruder. Releasing the queen by hand on day one is the commonest way to lose her.

If the colony is still aggressive on day two — bees clinging to the mesh and biting — do not release her: wait. If they are calm and feeding her through the mesh, it is going well.

Shipping and introduction are two things

• Shipping cage (€0.29-0.59) — travels with attendants and candy. NICOT® and JZBZ® are the two standards.
• KNE9 introduction cell (€0.37) — pushed into the comb.
• Candy cap with strip (€0.40) — hangs between frames.
• Cardboard box for 10 cages (€0.99) — for the sender: ventilated, with the cages held so they cannot knock together.

Before introducing

The hive has to be queenless and free of queen cells. Leave one cell started and the colony will choose its own and kill the one you paid for. Go through frame by frame first.

Queens are reared with the kit in queen rearing and marked by the year colour.