We have plenty of queen bees for sale here at HoneySmith Bees located in Odenton, MD. Our VSH queens come from the best stock to ensure that mites do not destroy your bee population. Why should you use VSH queens over other types of queen bees?

 

VSH is a behavioral trait found in honey bees where the bees can identify which bee pupae contain the parasitic mite called Varroa destructor. Once these pupae are found with these mites, they are destroyed by the bees to prevent the further spread of Varroa destructors. These mites can destroy populations of bees, but having queens with the VSH trait can prevent this type of destruction that is harmful to honey bees.

 

Bees with the Varroa sensitive hygiene, known as VSH were first bred in Baton Rouge, Louisiana at the United States Agriculture Honey Bee Breeding, Genetics and Physiology Laboratory. These bees were bred from colonies where the Varroa destructor mite grew slowly. Over time, it was discovered that this slow mite growth was heritable. This heritable trait helps bees detect mites on bee larvae.

 

Our VSH queen bees for sale can play a vital role in the success of your bee colonies. You can prevent entire colonies from being destroyed by tiny mites by having bees with the VSH gene. The reasons why these amazing animals can identify Varroa destructor mites on larvae is still not known.

 

Our Vsh queens are monitored on a continual basis to check for specific laying patterns, high levels of productivity, and if they have a high standard of hygiene. We introduce queens that have specific traits and bloodlines that can produce quality offspring.