Practical Guide: 4.6.2 Queen multiplication using the Laurenz method
Queen multiplication using the Laurenz method is a breeding technique that does not require grafting. This guide outlines the conditions, procedure, and limitations of this method. The following information is based on the official guide 4.6.2 published by the Swiss Bee Health Service.
Official Practical Guide – Summary
Practical Guide: 4.6.2 Queen Rearing by the Laurenz Method
- Principle: The Laurenz method enables queen rearing without grafting; the bees construct queen cells themselves from selected brood.
- Prerequisites:
- Strong, healthy parent colonies.
- A favourable period with sufficient nectar flow.
- An adequate number of nurse bees.
- Implementation:
- Preparation of brood material as described in the Practical Guide.
- Initiating queen cell rearing.
- Monitoring and subsequent use of the queen cells produced.
- Advantages and limitations:
- Simple method requiring no grafting equipment.
- Limited number of queens and reduced control compared to other techniques.
- Important point:
- This method is primarily suited to queen rearing for the beekeeper's own needs.
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Summary prepared on the basis of Practical Guide 4.6.2. Last verified: 01/2026.
See also:
- Practical Guide: 4.6.1 Mini-Plus
- Principles and methods of bee queen rearing
- Queen cells
- Nucleus formation and queen rearing
- Practical Guide: 4.5.2 Queen Introduction