image used as white space
MSUcares header Link to home page
Logos of MSU, Extension Service, and MAFES Links to home page of website.

Beekeeping

How can you determine if your colony has a good queen?

It is impossible to determine the quality of a queen by just looking at her. Beekeepers are forced to evaluate her on the basis of colony characteristics: brood pattern, behavior of the queen on the combs, temperament of workers and production records. A good queen lays a uniform brood pattern in relation to the strength of the colony, whereas, a poor queen scatters her brood.