How to Requeen a Hive: Complete Guide

Requeening—replacing your hive's queen with a new one—is a fundamental beekeeping skill. Whether your queen is failing, your colony is too aggressive, or you simply want better genetics, knowing how to safely introduce a new queen can save a struggling colony or improve a productive one.

Why Requeen?

There are several good reasons to replace a queen:

Failing queen – Poor laying pattern (spotty brood), low egg production, or drone-layer (running out of sperm)
Aggressive colony – Hot hives are no fun to work. A new queen can change the temperament within a generation of workers (6-8 weeks)
Disease management – Some queens produce bees with better hygienic behavior (varroa-sensitive hygiene, etc.)
Improved genetics – Better honey production, gentleness, overwintering ability, or local adaptation
Age management – Proactive requeening every 1-2 years prevents unexpected queen failure
Queenless hive – If your hive lost its queen and can't make a new one (no eggs), introducing a purchased queen is the fastest fix

When to Requeen

Best Times of Year

Late spring/early summer – Colony is growing, good acceptance rates, new queen has time to build population
Late summer/early fall – After honey harvest, gives new queen time to establish before winter

Avoid requeening during nectar dearths (bees are stressed and cranky) or in late fall/winter (queen may not be well-accepted, and colony needs stable leadership going into winter).

Signs Your Queen Should Be Replaced

Spotty brood pattern (many empty cells among capped brood)
Multiple eggs per cell (laying workers developing—queen pheromone failing)
Only drone brood (queen ran out of sperm)
Queen is 2+ years old and showing declining production
Colony is excessively defensive with no clear cause
You simply want different genetics

Finding and Removing the Old Queen

This is critical: You cannot introduce a new queen while the old one is present. The colony will reject (kill) the newcomer, or you'll end up with a fight that kills one or both queens.

How to Find the Queen

Look for the largest bee – Queens have elongated abdomens and move differently than workers
Check frames with eggs first – The queen is usually near freshly laid eggs
Look for a circle of attendants – Workers often face the queen in a rosette pattern
Work systematically – Check each frame carefully; she could be anywhere
Marked queens are easier – This is why marking your queen matters

Can't Find Her?

If you've searched thoroughly and can't locate the queen, you have options: (1) Try again tomorrow with fresh eyes, (2) Use a queen excluder to isolate her—put the excluder between boxes, wait 3 days, then check which side has new eggs, (3) Proceed anyway if you're confident she's failing—a colony with a strong new queen may eliminate a weak old one.

Removing the Old Queen

Once found, you need to remove her. Options:

Kill her – The most common approach. Pinch her head or thorax quickly. It sounds harsh, but it's fast and certain.
Cage and remove – Put her in a queen cage and take her out of the hive. Useful if you want to keep her as backup or donate to another beekeeper.
Newspaper combine – If giving her to another colony, combine using the newspaper method.

Queen Introduction Methods

Candy Release (Standard Method)

Most purchased queens come in a cage with a candy plug. Over 3-5 days, workers eat through the candy, releasing the queen. By the time she's free, they've grown accustomed to her pheromones and accept her.

This is the most reliable method for beginners.

Direct Release (Risky)

Opening the cage and releasing the queen immediately. High risk of rejection unless the colony is genuinely queenless and eager for a queen. Not recommended for routine requeening.

Push-In Cage (Advanced)

A larger mesh cage pushed into comb over emerging brood. The queen is protected while she starts laying and newly-emerged bees imprint on her. Higher success rate but more complex. Used for valuable queens or difficult introductions.

Step-by-Step: Standard Candy Release

Find and Remove the Old Queen

Conduct a thorough inspection. Once located, remove her from the hive (kill or cage). Double-check that she's actually gone—finding the old queen later means your new queen is dead.

Wait 24-48 Hours

Let the colony become queenless. They need time to recognize the absence of the old queen's pheromones. This makes them more receptive to a new queen. Skipping this step increases rejection risk.

Remove Emergency Queen Cells

During the wait, workers may start emergency queen cells. Remove any you find when introducing the new queen—you want them to accept her, not raise their own.

Prepare the Queen Cage

Check that the new queen is alive and healthy. Ensure the candy plug is exposed (remove any cork covering the candy end). Some cages have a cork on both ends—only remove the candy-end cork.

Install the Queen Cage

Suspend the cage between two frames in the brood nest area, candy-end UP (so dead attendant bees don't block the exit). The screen side should face outward so workers can contact the queen.

Use a rubber band, wire, or the metal strip attached to the cage. Press the cage firmly between frames so it doesn't fall.

Close Up and Wait

Reassemble the hive. Don't disturb them for 3-5 days. Resist the urge to check—every opening stresses the bees and can disrupt the acceptance process.

Check Queen Release (Day 3-5)

Open the hive briefly. Has the candy been eaten through? Is the cage empty? If yes, the queen is released. Remove the empty cage. If she's still inside, check whether bees are attacking the cage (biting, balling) or calmly feeding her through the screen.

Verify Laying (Day 7-10)

A week after release, check for eggs. Fresh eggs confirm the queen is accepted and laying. If no eggs after 10-14 days, the introduction may have failed—see troubleshooting below.

Checking for Acceptance

Good Signs (Acceptance Likely)

Workers calmly feeding the queen through the cage screen
Bees clustered loosely around the cage, antennae touching
After release: queen walking freely on comb, attended by workers
Eggs present within 7-10 days of release

Bad Signs (Rejection)

Workers biting the cage aggressively
Tight ball of bees covering the cage, seemingly trying to get inside
Queen balled after release (workers smother her with heat)
Dead queen in cage or on bottom board
No eggs after 2 weeks, queen not visible

Troubleshooting Failed Introductions

Queen killed in cage

The old queen wasn't fully removed, or the colony wasn't queenless long enough. Worker aggression toward a caged queen is the main warning sign. Next time: verify old queen removal and wait longer before introducing.

Queen balled after release

Bees formed a tight ball around her, overheating and killing her. This happens when acceptance wasn't complete. Try a slower introduction method (longer candy plug, push-in cage) next time.

Queen released but disappeared

She may have been killed and removed, or she absconded. Check for emergency queen cells—if bees are making them, they know they're queenless. You'll need another queen.

Bees made queen cells despite new queen

The old queen wasn't actually removed, OR there's a virgin queen hiding somewhere, OR the new queen isn't producing enough pheromone (poor quality, damaged in shipping). Investigate before the cells hatch.

Laying workers developed

The colony was queenless too long before you introduced the new queen. Laying workers reject new queens. This is very hard to fix—often requires combining with a queenright colony. More on laying workers.

Tips for Success

Don't rush – The wait periods exist for good reason. Impatience kills queens.
Handle minimally – Every time you open the hive during introduction, you stress the bees. Check once for release, once for eggs, done.
Choose good timing – Requeen during a nectar flow or while feeding. Stressed, hungry bees are more likely to reject.
Quality queens matter – Buy from reputable breeders. Poorly-mated or damaged queens fail more often.
Smoke lightly – Heavy smoking can mask queen pheromones and confuse the introduction process.
Mark your queens – After successful introduction, mark her so you can easily verify her presence in future inspections.

Requeening isn't complicated, but it requires patience and attention to timing. Do it right, and you'll transform a struggling colony into a thriving one—or simply enjoy gentler bees and better genetics going forward.

How to Requeen a Hive

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