๐ฏ Purpose
Track queen bee status, breeding information, and lifecycle stages to monitor colony reproductive health and understand brood patterns across your hives.
๐ญ User Story
- As a beekeeper managing multiple colonies
- I want to record queen presence, age, race, and lifecycle stage
- So that I can track reproductive health and plan queen replacement activities
๐ Key Benefits
- Lifecycle Tracking: Monitor queen development from cup through mating to laying stages
- Breeding Records: Track queen race, year marked, and genetic lineage
- Timeline History: See when queen was last spotted and status changes over time
- Colony Diagnostics: Understand if missing brood is due to queenless condition or unmated queen
- Replacement Planning: Know queen age to plan timely replacements
๐ก Use Cases
Track Queen Age
Mark when you introduced a new queen and track her age. Plan replacement when she reaches 2-3 years old.
Breeding Program
Record queen race and breeding information for colonies you're selecting for desirable traits like gentleness or honey production.
Diagnose Brood Issues
When you notice missing brood, check queen status. Is the colony queenless, or is the queen unmated or old and infertile?
Post-Split Management
After splitting a colony, track whether the new colony has successfully raised a queen and when she began laying.
๐ How to Use
- Mark queen presence - Toggle queen present/absent on specific frames during inspection
- Record breeding info - Add queen race, color mark, year introduced
- Update lifecycle stage - Select current stage: virgin โ mating โ laying โ old
- View timeline - Check calendar showing queen sightings and status changes
- Link with AI - AI queen detection automatically suggests queen presence
๐ Queen Lifecycle Stages
- Queen Cup: Colony is raising a new queen
- Virgin Queen: Queen has emerged but not mated
- Mating: Queen is on mating flights
- Laying Queen: Queen is actively laying eggs
- Old & Infertile: Queen's egg production declining
๐ Timeline Features
- Last seen dates for each queen
- Status change history
- Correlation with brood patterns
- Integration with inspection notes
๐ Integration with Detection
When you upload frame photos, AI detection may identify queens. You can:
- Review AI suggestions in queen management
- Confirm or reject AI detections
- Manually mark queen presence if AI missed her
Last Updated: December 5, 2025