Italian Honey Bee Queen - Mated & Marked
High-quality queen bee and colony starter
$40.00
Out of stock
Available starting April 2nd. Italian Queen Bee, successfully mated and laying. The Italian honey bee breed is known for high honey production, consistent honey bee population, and gentle behavior. This is the most commonly sought honey bee breed in the USA, adapting well to both cold winter and hot summer climates. Expect classic honey bee coloring of her offspring ranging from dark orange and brown to light blonde and tan banding.
All our queen bees are bred for colony gentleness, survival, and production.
All queens are successfully mated and laying.
All queens are marked with a dot of paint (water-based, non-toxic). This year's color is White.
Queen bees come in either a wooden "3 hole" cage with queen candy plug, or a plastic JZ BZ cage with queen candy plug. In both cases, there is no cork to remove. The cage is placed within the middle of the brood area/nest area, allowing access to the candy opening.
48 hours is the magic period where the queen needs to stay within the protective cage, with direct contact of the cage to bees within the hive through that period. The nurse bees will feed her through the cage screen, without allowing safety during this 2 day period. The candy plug should take at least 48 hours for your queenless colony to chew through that candy and release the queen inside.