{"id":662,"date":"2020-11-20T18:41:21","date_gmt":"2020-11-20T18:41:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ultimatesurvivalspace.com\/?p=662"},"modified":"2022-03-25T10:29:32","modified_gmt":"2022-03-25T10:29:32","slug":"can-you-start-a-beehive-with-just-a-queen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/craftofmanhood.com\/can-you-start-a-beehive-with-just-a-queen\/","title":{"rendered":"Can You Start A Beehive With Just a Queen?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Beekeeping is a very rewarding activity and can even be a fully-fledged commercial concern or just bring in some extra income on the homestead. But how do you get started with a beehive to get your colony started? There are various means to start a beehive, and some beginners may wonder if it is possible to start a bee colony with just a queen bee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You cannot start a bee colony with a queen bee alone. A bee colony is a community of bees, where different bees have different functions, and they all depend on one another to fulfill their part for the colony to survive. The queen is pretty much helpless on her own and will not survive on her own, nor be able to build a colony without other bees.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n You may have considered this question because you want to start a beehive on your homestead, and you have seen beekeepers advertising queen bees for sale. The purpose of these lone queens in beekeeping, however, is not to start a new colony. If you are considering getting started beekeeping, then read on to see several ways that you can get started and what the purpose of the lone queen is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Queen bees have a clearly defined role in a bee colony, and they do not deviate from their designated function. The role of the queen bee in the colony is to breed and to lay eggs. That is pretty much the sum total of her function.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite the name “queen” bee, which in our human understanding of the word denotes a position of authority and governance, the role of the queen bee has very little to do with these aspects of the colony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The queen has no say with regard to where the worker bees forage, the defense of the hive, maintaining the right environmental conditions in the hive, or even whether it is time for the colony to split with a new queen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Surprisingly, these decisions about the greater good for the colony are initiated and carried out by the workers, not the queen. The workers send out scouts to forage for good feeding grounds, the workers defend the hive from attacks, the workers take care of the larvae, and the workers take care of the queen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The workers also have the capability to decide to raise a new queen, as long as they have viable larvae or fertilized eggs to do it with. They may decide to raise a new queen should the existing queen become too old and slow down her egg-laying regimen, or if the queen dies, which may happen when she is out on a mating flight. If the hive is getting too small for the colony, the workers may also decide to raise a new queen, and then the hive will split, with some workers leaving with one queen to find a new home and the other workers remaining in the original hive with the other queen. This is a process known as swarming and often happens in the springtime.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhy You Can’t Start A Beehive With Just A Queen<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Power To The Workers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n