Bee breading

[Abba Bees]

I was wondering the best way to breed bees, I am starting up, and been thinking the best and most productive way to breed bees to sell as packages or nucs, Any advice or ideas would be much appreciated

 

[REDWOOD]

You need good stock to start

 

[Abba Bees]

You need good stock to start

And after that?

 

[enrico]

You need to read up on it....all I could tell you is what you could read about and that would seem a waste of time me typing it out! No offence but books can be the best place to go for total beginners. If you get any confusion or problems then by all means ask here.....
Trust you will understand!
E

 

[Abba Bees]

I was think more about the most productive system to breed bees, like maybe pulling out some of the frames and making up new hives with them, to get the queens laying a their peak.

 

[Russel]

I was think more about the most productive system to breed bees, like maybe pulling out some of the frames and making up new hives with them, to get the queens laying a their peak.

Bees will "breed" themselves if you just want to increase numbers but if you want certain traits it's a little more complicated.

Contact local association and find out who's there most successful.
BTW what level of experience are you, so your no bombarded with basic stuff?

 

[Arfermo]

I was wondering the best way to breed bees, I am starting up, and been thinking the best and most productive way to breed bees to sell as packages or nucs, Any advice or ideas would be much appreciated

Don't you think you are trying to run before you have learnt to walk properly? As above, bees will breed well enough without much trouble as you might find out when swarming season starts.

 

[oliver90owner]

As Russel, breeding is not the same as rearing.

As Arfermo, unless you are throwing money at it you will first need to know how to keep your bees.

Reading a few books on beekeeping and then progressing to rearing queens and finally, perhaps, to breeding queens would be a good start.

 

[Abba Bees]

As Russel, breeding is not the same as rearing.

As Arfermo, unless you are throwing money at it you will first need to know how to keep your bees.

Reading a few books on beekeeping and then progressing to rearing queens and finally, perhaps, to breeding queens would be a good start.

I want to breed and raise bees commercially, to make a income from it is hard to do just selling honey, the income is from producing hives and selling packages or nucs. Splitting hives is going to be a slow process, I need to find a system that can accelerate the way bees are breed. the commercial breeders in the US surely wont split hives

 

[oliver90owner]

I might suggest you perhaps look back in the forum archives at the threads concerning weald place farm (or weald farm place).

Making a small fortune from bees may mean starting off with a large fortune!

Good luck.

 

[psafloyd]

I was wondering the best way to breed bees, I am starting up, and been thinking the best and most productive way to breed bees to sell as packages or nucs, Any advice or ideas would be much appreciated

Oh, I thought this was a cookery thread.

 

[Abba Bees]

I might suggest you perhaps look back in the forum archives at the threads concerning weald place farm (or weald farm place).

Making a small fortune from bees may mean starting off with a large fortune!

Good luck.

Capital is not a problem for me, I have just built my workshop 30' x 20' and purchased an Omec 650 m dovetail machine to cut my finger joints and a vertical panel saw to cut all my timber, looking now for a spindle moulder to do my rebating and cut the handles. Next will be a series of machines to make my frames, they actually cost more to buy in that a hive cost to produce, in materials, then I will look at the foundation. Thanks for the Weald Farm tip, I will look at them.

 

[Abba Bees]

Don't you think you are trying to run before you have learnt to walk properly? As above, bees will breed well enough without much trouble as you might find out when swarming season starts.

There are 2 types in the world, bosses and workers, and pretty much in the bee world.

 

[Russel]

Capital is not a problem for me, I have just built my workshop 30' x 20' and purchased an Omec 650 m dovetail machine to cut my finger joints and a vertical panel saw to cut all my timber, looking now for a spindle moulder to do my rebating and cut the handles. Next will be a series of machines to make my frames, they actually cost more to buy in that a hive cost to produce, in materials, then I will look at the foundation. Thanks for the Weald Farm tip, I will look at them.

That may have been tongue in cheek, iirc, as they promised the world and his aunty, took many deposits , didn't deliver, went to the wall, Phoenix'd under another name and tried to start the whole process again but got sussed.

Maybe you need to get in touch with the Bee farmers assoc.
It appears that some BF's preference to import rather than breed/rear might suggest it's not commercially viable for them, given when bees are needed and how late our season can start.

See Murray on iplayer : Penguins on a plane There are bees and hippo's too!
Beekeeper Murray McGregor is importing eight million bees from Italy to provide pollinators for British fruit farmers. With bee numbers plummeting in the UK, Murray's cargo is especially precious.

 

[Abba Bees]

That may have been tongue in cheek, iirc, as they promised the world and his aunty, took many deposits , didn't deliver, went to the wall, Phoenix'd under another name and tried to start the whole process again but got sussed.

Maybe you need to get in touch with the Bee farmers assoc.
It appears that some BF's preference to import rather than breed/rear might suggest it's not commercially viable for them, given when bees are needed and how late our season can start.

Yes I read the post, I actually got through to the farm and was given his phone number

 

[Russel]

Yes I read the post, I actually got through to the farm and was given his phone number

Maybe you should also read this BBKA forum

 

[Apple]

Abba bees

There is no future in making beehives from timber unless you have a large and sustainable source, local to your manufacturing facility. I think any redwoods in the Gatwick are were felled many years ago!
Bee breeders [even the successful ones] have a struggle to make ends meet in the UK.
Capital is no problem! now where have I heard that before?

Good Luck
James

 

[madasafish]

Abba bees

My serious comments are as follows:
1. Learn to keep bees first
2. What USP are you bringing to the party? There are LOTS of amateur competitors and a "few hundred" professional ones as well. It's a crowded market.
3. Are you immune to bee stings? Do you know? If you don't , then you are an incompetent who has not done any basic research. If you do know, that's one basic sorted so well done.

As for the rest, you need to read a lot and handle bees before spending big bucks. You appear to be miles away from reality so far from what you write.

 

[Abba Bees]

Maybe you should also read this BBKA forum

thats a broken link

 

[Abba Bees]

Abba bees

My serious comments are as follows:
1. Learn to keep bees first
2. What USP are you bringing to the party? There are LOTS of amateur competitors and a "few hundred" professional ones as well. It's a crowded market.
3. Are you immune to bee stings? Do you know? If you don't , then you are an incompetent who has not done any basic research. If you do know, that's one basic sorted so well done.

As for the rest, you need to read a lot and handle bees before spending big bucks. You appear to be miles away from reality so far from what you write.

All I ask, is a simple question, yet still if you cannot give me an answer, why bother, you wast both our time