Introducing a new queen can be a challenging task. Naturally, when a hive feels it needs a new queen, they simply create one. The “virgin queen bee” will kill the current queen and take her spot. A ‘hive-created’ queen bee will have less pheromones than an imported bee a beekeeper buys, making it simpler for the hive to adapt and accept her. When a beekeeper transplants a new queen bee in a hive, the beekeeper may separate her from the worker bees so that they gradually adapt to her foreign scent. Also, a beekeeper can use peppermint oil in the hive which helps to dilute the pheromones of the new queen so the hive will adapt to her better.