Queen honey bee (Apis mellifera) survival and colony performance after overwintering mated queens indoors.

ABSTRACT: Honey bee, Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae) winter colony mortality has reached sustained high levels and beekeepers depend on the availability of mated honey bee queens in early spring to recoup colony losses. Unfortunately, importing mated queens from other countries is currently the only reliable option meeting the demands of commercial beekeeping each spring in Canada. However, relying on queen imports brings another set of challenges, as supply chains can be disrupted, border crossings closed, imports prohibited, and the transportation of live animals can be stressful. This study explored the potential for Canadian beekeepers to supply queens in early spring by overwintering queens in queen banks that mated the previous summer. Queens were overwintered indoors in five queen ban

SUBMITTER: Holmes LA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12397964 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature