Queen Cages and Introduction

A queen cage is a small box that physically separates the queen from the colony while still letting the bees smell and feed her; it is used for transport, storage and introducing her to a new colony. A colony does not accept a foreign queen straight away; the cage buys time for her scent to be recognised. This page covers types of cage, the candy plug, introduction step by step, reading acceptance, and keeping a queen in a cage.

Why is a queen introduced in a cage?

Every colony has its own scent, and the queen is an important part of it. If a foreign queen is released directly into a hive, the workers often perceive her as a stranger, form a tight ball around her (balling, queen smothering) and kill her. The cage protects the queen from this first attack; the bees inspect and feed her through the mesh or perforated plastic wall and become used to her scent within a few days.

The cage is not only an introduction tool: different cages are also used to transport queens, to hold a queen taken from a mating nuc for a few days, to protect ripe queen cells and to restrict the queen's laying.

What types of queen cage are there?

How does the candy plug work?

The candy (queen candy, fondant) that closes the exit of shipping and introduction cages is a self-operating delay mechanism. The bees in the hive gradually eat the candy and open the tunnel; during this time the queen's scent spreads through the colony. In candy-plugged cages, release usually takes one to three days.

• Consistency: If the candy is too hard, the queen cannot get out for days; if it is too soft, it runs, making the attendants and queen sticky, or the exit opens too early.
• Ingredients: Candy kneaded from icing sugar and a little syrup is enough. Candy made with honey of unknown origin is not recommended, as it can carry spores of diseases such as American foulbrood.
• Protective cap: During transport the exit is closed with a cap or tape; for introduction this cap is removed and the candy left exposed.

The safe approach is to open the candy plug and put the cage in, but if you see queen cells or agitated behaviour in the colony, keep the exit closed yourself for a while longer.

Introducing a queen with a cage, step by step

1. Make sure the colony is queenless: Find and remove the old queen. There must be no other queen, queen cells or laying workers in the colony.
2. Wait a short while: Many beekeepers give the new queen a few hours to a day later, so that the colony notices it is queenless.
3. Check for queen cells: If the wait has been longer than a day, search all frames for emergency queen cells and destroy them before putting in the cage.
4. Put the cage in: Wedge the cage in the brood area between two brood frames, with the mesh or perforated face open to the bees. If the candy end is slightly higher, dead attendants will not block the exit.
5. Open the plug: Remove the protective cap from the candy compartment.
6. Close the hive and wait: Once the queen has been released, do not open the hive for about a week. Then confirm acceptance by looking for fresh eggs.

Should the attendant bees be removed?

A queen arriving in a shipping cage comes with a few attendant workers. Some beekeepers release these in an enclosed space (a room with a window) before introduction, believing that foreign attendants can make acceptance harder. This is optional; great care is needed so the queen does not escape.

Introduction with a push-in cage

A push-in cage is a mesh or plastic frame pressed into the surface of the comb, with its edges sunk into the cells. Choose an area with a few sealed brood cells about to emerge and a little honey underneath; the queen is enclosed over this area. The young bees emerging under the cage adopt the queen at once, and the queen starts laying in this area within a few days.

• Advantage: The acceptance rate is high; suitable for valuable queens and difficult colonies.
• Caution: If the cage is not pressed deep enough into the comb, the bees can tunnel under it. The cage is removed a few days later once you see the queen has laid.

How can you tell whether she has been accepted?

A day or two after putting the cage in, you can briefly lift the lid and look at how the bees behave on the cage:

• Positive: The bees stand calmly and loosely on the cage, touch the queen with their antennae and feed her; they move off the cage easily.
• Negative: The bees clamp tightly onto the cage, cluster like a ball and bite the mesh; they do not come away easily even with a brush. In that case keep the exit closed and wait a few more days.

Conditions that help or hinder acceptance

• Nectar flow: Acceptance is easy during a flow and difficult in a dearth or robbing period. Light feeding helps in a dearth.
• Colony make-up: Small splits and mating nucs rich in young bees accept more easily than large colonies with many old bees.
• Queen status: A laying, mated queen is accepted more easily than a virgin. A virgin queen should be introduced as young as possible.
• Laying workers: A colony with laying workers accepts a new queen only with great difficulty; uniting is a more practical solution.
• Not disturbing: An inspection immediately after release can cause the bees to surround and kill the new queen.

How do you keep a queen in a cage?

A queen taken from a mating nuc or arriving by post should be given to a colony as soon as possible. If she has to be held for a few days:

• Attendants and candy: The queen is kept with attendant workers and enough candy so that she can be fed.
• Surroundings: Room temperature, out of the sun, draught-free and away from chemical smells. A hot car and the refrigerator are lethal.
• Water: Putting a drop of water on the cage mesh once a day helps the attendants; do not soak the cage.
• Queen bank: If many queens are to be held for a few days, the cages are arranged in a special frame inside a strong colony and left in the bees' care.