How to use a Testframe

Many beekeepers jump the gun when they suspect that a colony is queenless and introduce a new queen without verifying that they are in fact queenless and in need of a new royal. Introducing a new queen into a colony that is queenright will lead to the killing of the newly introduced queen. In this practical blog I will discuss how to correctly use a testframe to check if a hive is queenless or not.

What is a Testframe?

If you suspect that a colony is queenless and there are no eggs or open brood in the hive, you should use a testframe.

A testframe is a frame of eggs and/or very young larvae from a queenright colony. The bees can produce queens from older larvae also, but if you think you might want to use any queencell to requeen the colony, it is best to use eggs or very young larva (the ones pictured below are all a bit on the old/big side bar one or two. The one in the top left corner, the smallest on the frame, is about the right size.)

The testframe is inserted into the centre of the broodnest in the suspected queenless hive. If the colony is queenless it will make queencells from the eggs and larvae on the testframe. You can then either let the hive requeen with one of the new queencells on the testframe (break down all but one), or introduce another queencell, virgin queen or mated queen.

If you are introducing either a queencell or a new queen, you will need to break down all queencells on the testframe or remove the testframe. Otherwise they will not be accepted.

Using Queencells from the Testframe to Requeen

If you decide to use one of the queencells on the testframe, you have to take the frame from a colony good enough to duplicate. This is because the new queen and her progeny will get their traits from that stock. Hence, if you have a colony with cranky bees, patchy brood, a lot of chalkbrood or generally poor performance, you should not breed of this. You can of course use a frame from that hive as a testframe if you have no other option. But it would be a bad idea to be tempted to keep one of the queencells generated on that frame.

If you are stuck, it would be better to ask another beekeeper for a frame of eggs from a colony with desirable traits. These would be traits such as docility, good brood pattern, no chalkbrood/good hygienic behaviour and good productivity.

Once you have inserted a testframe, leave the bees do their work for a few days. Then return after 3-5 days to inspect the frame. If there are no queencells on the frame but you still suspect queenlessness, you can repeat the process by adding another testframe.

Inaccurate Readings

Testframes are great and very easy to use. Most of the time, they will tell you what you need to know. However it is not always possible to get an accurate reading from testframes. There are instances where the bees will build queencells despite there being a queen in the hive. This can happen if they are waiting for a virgin to mate or newly mated queen to start lay. Sometimes new queens start laying within a week or two of emerging, but it often takes a little longer. In other instances, they may no build queencells despite being queenless. This can happen if there are laying workers in the hive. This is something that often happens once a colony has been queenless for some time.

When Should a New Queen Start to Lay?

Many times, a new queen will not start laying until all the brood from the old queen has emerged. If you know that there is a new queen in the hive, you should give her time to get up and running and not interfere in the weeks after her emerging from the queencell.

The Three Week Rule

I usually start looking for eggs three weeks after the queen has emerged. If I see no eggs or polished cells (the bees clean out and polish the cells in anticipation of a queen laying), I will put in a testframe.

Sometimes the presence of open brood will entice a young queen to start laying. I would return after three to five days to check. If there are eggs present after this time, I know that they are from a new queen as all the eggs that were on the frame are now over three days old and have become larvae.

Occasionally, a young queen will not return from a mating flight rendering the hive queenless. Because of the absence of open brood the colony then lack the means to produce a new queen. It is therefore important that the beekeeper is vigilant and check colonies with new queens after about three weeks, so that this can be remedied as early as possible, or the colony will fail.   

Hanna Bäckmo