Queen Bank

If you are raising queens you may at times have more queens than you can use immediately. One way to hold the queens is by using a "queen bank". This picture demonstrates one type of queen bank. You start with a queen-less hive that has all ages of bees. The 1/8 inch hardware cloth on the front side is only 1-1.5 inches high. Place the queens between the hardware cloth at least an inch apart so the nurse bees have access to the queen cage. You do not remove either of the corks. Place the frame in or near the center of the hive with frames of open brood and nurse bees on both sides. I have placed a stater strip of foundation below the frame divider to give the bees a place to draw additional comb. The nursebees are naturally drawn to the queens and will care for them until you are able to use them. You can maintain queens in this environment for up to three weeks.