Queen cage (ZANDER) with hatch - plastic

Queen nursery cage with bee pass-through – safe and controlled rearing of honey bee queens

Anyone involved in queen rearing knows that the days just before and shortly after emergence determine the queen's condition and subsequent performance. The queen nursery cage with bee pass-through is a proven tool for the safe "nursery" management of queen cells and freshly emerged queens. It protects the queen cell from damage and from competition with other queens, while the pass-through ensures uninterrupted contact with attending worker bees. This way, you have the emergence under control and the queen does not suffer from unnecessary isolation.

A well-thought-out design that respects the needs of bees

The cage is designed to closely replicate the natural conditions inside the hive. The rear side is enclosed with a fixed queen excluder mesh, and the front side is fitted with a hinged mesh secured by rivets. The pass-through is the key feature: worker bees can freely enter the cage, intensively tend the queen cell, and after emergence feed the queen and keep her warm. However, the queen cannot leave the cage without your intervention, allowing you to precisely time further operations (marking, introduction, placement into a mating nuc, etc.).

Use in the hive and in a queen incubator

The cage is versatile and easily fits into various rearing methods. It comes with a queen cell plug that you simply attach with beeswax (it is made with a looser fit for comfortable handling). The tool can also be used in queen incubators. For this rearing method, a minor modification is commonly recommended: drill a 2 mm hole in the bottom corner for inserting a cup with a drop of honey. This amount of food is usually sufficient for the queen for up to three days before you use her in a mating nuc or a queenright colony. Alternatively, the bottom can be fitted with a shallow queen cell cup.

Easy cleaning and emphasis on hygiene

Hygiene is essential in beekeeping, especially when working with queen cells and queens. Thanks to its construction from high-quality plastic, maintenance is quick and simple. The cage can be safely washed in warm water with detergent or cleaned with a caustic soda solution according to your usual practice. Regular cleaning reduces the risk of infection transfer between batches and extends the lifespan of the tool over multiple seasons.

Technical specifications