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Queen Management

Track individual queens across your operation — their details, where they've lived, and when they were replaced.

Adding a Queen​

You can add a queen from a hive's detail page (the side menu's Add Queen option) or from the Queens section.

Record details such as:

  • Name / identifier — an optional label for the queen.
  • Marking color — the international year color (White, Yellow, Red, Green, Blue).
  • Year — the queen's birth/marking year.
  • Source — breeder, swarm, supersedure, etc.
  • Race / strain — genetic background.
  • Installation date — when she was introduced to the hive.
  • Notes — anything else worth recording.

When you add a queen to a hive that already has an active queen, the new queen becomes active and the previous one is marked as replaced.

Queen History & Movements​

Each queen has a detail page (/queens/:queenId) showing her full timeline:

  • Movement history — every hive the queen has lived in, with dates.
  • Status — whether she is currently active or has been replaced.
  • Details — marking, source, race, and notes.

On a hive's detail page, the Queen History tab lists the active queen plus any past queens for that hive, so you can see the colony's full requeening history.

Transferring a Queen​

To move a queen from one hive to another, use the transfer option on the queen's detail page. The move is recorded in her movement history, so the timeline stays accurate for both hives.

Best Practices​

  • Color marking — follow the international color code so the queen's age is readable at a glance.
  • Record the source — knowing whether a queen came from a breeder, a swarm, or supersedure helps with future selection.
  • Log replacements promptly — adding the new queen marks the old one replaced and keeps the hive's history clean.

FAQ​

What happens to the old queen when I add a new one? She's automatically marked as replaced; the new queen becomes the hive's active queen.

Can I see everywhere a queen has been? Yes — the queen's detail page shows her complete movement history across hives.

How do I move a queen without losing her history? Use the transfer action rather than deleting and re-adding — it preserves the timeline.