Keeping queen bees chilled in indoor refrigeration units can make the practice of "queen banking" storing excess queens in the spring to supplement hives in the fall more stable and less labor-intensive, a Washington State University study found.
A new WSU study shows that queen bees stored at cooler temperatures have a higher survival rate and require less maintenance than those stored outdoors.
Indoor queen banking could help beekeepers deal with changing climate scienceblog.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from scienceblog.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
A free-to-download publication from WSU Extension provides beekeepers a new resource if they suspect the invasive Asian giant hornet—also commonly known as the “murder hornet”—is attacking their honey bee colonies.