4.7.4. Management of Queenless Colonies
Orphan colonies are a special case in beekeeping, as the absence of a queen prevents reproduction and compromises the colony's survival. Official memo 4.7.4 from the Swiss Bee Health Service describes the possible causes of orphanhood and the appropriate measures for managing these colonies.
Official aide-mémoire – Summary
Aide-mémoire: 4.7.4 Management of queenless colonies
- Definition: A queenless colony is a colony without a mated queen, resulting in the absence of normal egg laying.
- Possible causes:
- Loss of the queen due to handling, disease, or age.
- Failure of a young queen to mate successfully.
- Undetected loss of the queen after swarming.
- Characteristic signs:
- Absence of eggs and brood.
- Agitated behavior of the bees.
- Presence of supersedure cells or risk of laying workers.
- Procedure:
- Carefully verify whether a queen is present or absent.
- Introduce a mated queen or a brood frame according to the aide-mémoire.
- If not feasible, combine the colony with a queenright colony.
- Important point:
- The longer a colony remains queenless, the more difficult recovery becomes.
► Open the official aide-mémoire PDF (FR)
► To the official aide-mémoire page (abeilles.ch)
Note: Section Operation management → 4.7.4 “Management of queenless colonies”.
Summary established on the basis of aide-mémoire 4.7.4. Last verification: 01/2026.