Beehive Queen Confinement Cage

Beekeeper use  queen confinement cage  to control which frames the queen has access to lay eggs into, either to force brood breaks or as part of their preparations for queen grafting. Constructed with bars similar to a queen excluder, the isolator holds one deep (9-1/8" tall) Langstroth frame and fits neatly within a deep hive body.

When the queen is inside the cage, she will focus on filling the frame with brood without leaving. If placed outside the cage, she is prevented from laying eggs on the isolated frame. Meanwhile, worker bees can freely move through the bars to care for the brood, ensuring the colony remains cohesive under the queen’s pheromones—something standard queen cages can disrupt.

Key Uses:

• Temporarily confining a queen from a new swarm or package to encourage egg-laying and prevent absconding.
• Restricting the queen to one frame for brood removal, creating a broodless colony for mite treatment.
• Slowing brood production to limit colony growth during a dearth.
• Isolating the queen briefly to produce eggs or brood of specific ages.
• Keeping the queen on a single frame for easier location during hive inspections.

Handling Notes:

Insert and remove the frame gently and slowly if the queen is present to avoid accidental harm. The cage requires extra space, so remove two frames to accommodate it in a deep hive body. One frame is inserted into the cage, which is then covered with a solid lid resting on the frame’s top bar. The lid allows easy access to the frame without removing the entire cage.

For a snug fit, the cage aligns with standard wooden hive bodies. If using equipment with slightly different dimensions, pressing spare wax along the top bar can ensure the queen remains secure within the cage.

Returns Policy

You may return most new, unopened items within 30 days of delivery for a full refund. We'll also pay the return shipping costs if the return is a result of our error (you received an incorrect or defective item, etc.).

You should expect to receive your refund within four weeks of giving your package to the return shipper, however, in many cases you will receive a refund more quickly. This time period includes the transit time for us to receive your return from the shipper (5 to 10 business days), the time it takes us to process your return once we receive it (3 to 5 business days), and the time it takes your bank to process our refund request (5 to 10 business days).

If you need to return an item, simply login to your account, view the order using the 'Complete Orders' link under the My Account menu and click the Return Item(s) button. We'll notify you via e-mail of your refund once we've received and processed the returned item.

Shipping

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When you place an order, we will estimate shipping and delivery dates for you based on the availability of your items and the shipping options you choose. Depending on the shipping provider you choose, shipping date estimates may appear on the shipping quotes page.

Please also note that the shipping rates for many items we sell are weight-based. The weight of any such item can be found on its detail page. To reflect the policies of the shipping companies we use, all weights will be rounded up to the next full pound.