Wake County Beekeepers Association

Check to see if the queen is laying, gage the volume of brood and brood pattern

Check the volume of brood and brood pattern (signs of queen productivity)

Look for quantity of eggs and brood pattern (signs of queen productivity)

Good queens will peak egg laying in April and May.

Avoid honey bound condition

Watch brood pattern (signs of queen productivity)

Good queens will peak egg laying in April and May.

Avoid honey bound condition, give her plenty of room to lay

Egg laying still high, but when pollen slows, egg production will slow

Good month for new queens

Avoid honey bound condition

Good month for new queens. Most local queen breeders will not make more after June.

Egg laying will decrease significantly. Good opportunity to confine queen to single brood box. Easier to assess queen production.

Late fall re-queening if she is under performing (requires mated queen)

Last chance for queens from most breeders.

Natural for queens to slow production.

Queen failure this month or later may require combining colonies.