Transplanting a queen bee to a “qeen-less” colony.
A honey bee colony is an immensely complex structure geometrically, architecturally as well as socially. The social order within the colony is strict and it’s health is determined by the queen bee. A hive without a queen is as good as lost. Unfortunately, many a hives loose a queen for various reasons. Bees tend to abandon the hive and move on causing significant loss in time, effort and potential loss of honey production to an apiculturist. This simple contraption can be used to transplant a queen cell from another hive, where it may be redundant, to a colony without queen, thus saving and reviving it’s workforce.
This comb of the apis cerana honey bees is in the process of birthing new bees. Queen bee cells and worker bee cells are distinguishable. 
Parts of the modular queen bee transplanting cage. A section of the honey comb from another hive with queen bee cell is shown as well. The parts are easy to assemble with little effort. 
The assembled modular queen bee transplanting cage. It is at once secure yet accessible by worker bees for servicing of the queen bee larvae. 
Holes barely large enough for one worker bee to enter at a time is needed for them to service the queen bee cell. 
Worker bees seen entering the cage for feeding and cleaning. Regular maintenance may be done without overwhelming the queen. 
The queen bee, once ready, will slice open her cell and emerge from it. The module will keep her entrapped. This module can now be transplanted to a hive without a queen. 
The new hive adopts the queen and continues to function without risk of abandoning it. With any luck, it will flourish and spawn more queen bees for further propagation. 
The module, after successfully transplanting one queen, can now be reused.
This queen bee cage is an invention of Shri P T Thambi of Madhushree Bee Farm, Alakode, Kannur.
