Hybrid Queens are known for producing hives that have a high volume of brood year-round. The queen tends to continue to lay eggs regardless of weather, nectar or pollen conditions and many beekeepers who pollinate in early spring prefer the Italian for this reason. Since Italian queens produce a large hive population, it’s important to keep the colony fed throughout colder months when bees are unable to forage and are also otherwise consuming high amounts of syrup or honey. They can sustain in the colder climates but will need food or honey for the brood. Heritage Bee Farm Italian Queens and Queen Cells have mixed coloring since we allow for healthy open mating. They have many fine qualities: the queens are exceptionally prolific, known for a fast spring buildup, and they gentle. From New Beekeepers to Commercial Pollinators and Honey Producers you can be confident that when you purchase an Italian Queen from Heritage Bee Farm you are not only getting a high-quality Queen with great genetics, but you are getting the benefits of a high-quality control process: from breeder queen selection to colony feeding (to produce quality royal jelly and queen cells), to grafting, incubating and finally getting the queens and cells to you... through shipping or delivery. We do all we can to ensure quality and care each step of the process!