Practical Guide: 4.6.1 Queen rearing in the Miniplus system

Queen multiplication using the Mini-Plus system is a recognized method for breeding, fertilizing, and preserving young queens. It allows for precise monitoring of queens in small colonies. The information below is based on the official checklist 4.6.1 from the Swiss Bee Health Service.

Official Practical Guide – Summary

Practical Guide: 4.6.1 Mini-Plus

• Framework: Mini-Plus is a small-colony system intended for queen rearing, mating, and temporary storage of queens.
• Objectives:
  • Rearing and mating of young queens.
  • Maintenance of reserve queens.
  • Evaluation of egg-laying performance.
• Prerequisites:
  • Sufficient availability of bees to establish Mini-Plus units.
  • Favorable climatic and nectar flow conditions.
  • Careful monitoring and regular management.
• Management principles:
  • Ensure regular feeding.
  • Expand units at the appropriate time.
  • Regularly check the queen and brood.
• Important point:
  • Mini-Plus colonies are sensitive to management errors and lack of resources.

► Open the official factsheet PDF (FR)

► To the official factsheet page (abeilles.ch)
Note: Section Queen rearing → 4.6.1 “Mini-Plus”.

Summary established on the basis of factsheet 4.6.1. Last verification: 01/2026.

See also:

• Creation of nuclei and queen rearing
• Factsheet: 4.6.2 Queen multiplication according to Laurenz
• Factsheet: 4.5.2 Introducing the queen
• Factsheet: 4.2 Feeding