Queen Brood Break Cage for Varroa Control

Improve the effectiveness of your Varroa management program with the Queen Brood Break Cage. Designed to create a controlled brood break, this innovative cage allows you to maximise the effectiveness of Oxalic Acid treatments by ensuring there is little or no capped brood where Varroa mites can hide.

Oxalic Acid is highly effective against phoretic (adult) Varroa mites, but it does not penetrate capped brood cells where mites reproduce. By temporarily confining the queen, you can interrupt the brood cycle, allowing treatment at the optimal time for significantly improved mite control.

Features

• Creates an effective brood break for improved Varroa management.

• Available in two sizes:

  • Full Depth

• Compatible with Oxalic Acid treatment methods including:

  • Vaporisation
  • Fogging

  • Dribble application

• Large cage design reduces the likelihood of bees perceiving the colony as queenless, helping minimise queen cell production.
• Queen excluder mesh allows nurse bees to enter and continue feeding and caring for the queen.
• Convenient removable top cap with a large release opening for easy queen access.
• Slim 25 mm top section fits comfortably alongside eight or ten standard brood frames with 33 mm end bars.
• Narrow 16 mm cage body minimises interference with adjacent brood emergence.
• Full Depth version features a curved lower edge to better match the natural shape of the winter cluster.
• Manufactured in Europe from durable, food-grade polypropylene.

Additional Uses

Beyond Varroa control, the Queen Brood Break Cage has several practical applications:

• Winter brood management in warmer climates by temporarily preventing egg laying, helping conserve colony stores and reducing Varroa reproduction.
• Queen banking, allowing an additional queen to be maintained over winter in established two-queen colonies where bees are already accustomed to multiple queens.

Winter Use Recommendation

For overwintering, we recommend fitting a small timber perch inside the cage to provide the queen with a warm resting surface while remaining surrounded by attendant nurse bees.

Suggested timber dimensions:

• 20 mm × 10 mm × 110 mm

A standard beehive frame bottom bar is often the ideal size.

A 10 mm thick piece provides a secure fit; however, we recommend securing it with one or two small screws. The removable top cap allows quick and easy installation.

Dimensions

• Top bar length: 480 mm

Learn More

Want to understand why brood breaks are so effective? Read our Brood Breaks in Hives blog for practical advice and management tips.

For independent research on Oxalic Acid treatments and brood break management, see Randy Oliver's Scientific Beekeeping resources.

Please Note

• Product colour may vary from the images shown.
• Always follow Australian label directions and local regulations when using Oxalic Acid or any registered Varroa treatment.

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