Requeening

Requeening, or replacing the queen bee, can be used as a swarm prevention method. Older queens or queens from swarm-prone genetic lines may be more likely to lead to swarming. Requeening with a younger queen or a queen from less swarm-prone stock can reduce the colony's tendency to swarm. Requeening is often combined with other swarm prevention techniques. It is a commercial solution when purchasing a new queen. A queen cage is used for the safe introduction of the new queen, and a hive tool is needed for hive manipulation during requeening.