Thinking of Queen Rearing next year? What has put you off so far?

[Poly Hive]

Wondering what the obstacles are for people who want to rear queens "properly" and have not yet got up and running?

PH

 

[MuswellMetro]

Drone pool around me is so varied my supersedure queens and artificial swarm queens are a nightmare, no matter what stock i start with

 

[winmag270]

could you add another option....

"Lack of time"

 

[Winker]

I am going to give it a go next year. The up comming BBKA DVD set look like my way forward to learning

 

[Norton]

Maybe we should hold a course here in Cyprus in February. Off-season, cheap flights, hotels, hire cars ...........
Anyone interested then PM me and if we get enough interest could be done.

 

[Teemore]

My experience of Queen rearing to date has been utilising swarm cells but I aim to do some planned Queen rearing next year, working in conjunction with a couple of other local beekeepers and taking advice from one or two other beekeepers we know who already raise a fair numbers of queens. Plans for the winter include purchase of a second hand incubator (missed two good local ones so far...) and making some mating nucs using a kieler as a template. The other folk involved already have cup kits etc. and some experience of using them. We have also lined up an apiary visit to get additional experience of queen rearing.

 

[Heather]

I plan to do some grafting...

 

[susbees]

Lack of Material to breed from?
The local bee improvement group of which I am chief grafter, apidea-sitter post mating station and nearest to a biologist we can muster, has done two grafting and isolated mating forays this year and we wait to see what comes out of winter. The plan is a ten line, three group closed mating project with calm and productive Amm (or their modern equivalent). We are going to be short of stock so will add to the gene pool next season while getting the logistics and skillsets in place before the real off in 2013.

Lack of bees to support the work?
No problem. That's where forming a keen group helps.

Lack of knowledge?
I am currently writing a "Better Drones" booklet, others are doing other vital bits including design work for essential equipment and user-friendly databases.

Lack of support?
Our three day II course was part-funded by the BKA as is the equipment and we have further II training in line for next year. For support the group have each other and the arguments and disagreements have been almost non-existent....in fact clipping of project queens has been the only one I can recall to date.

In the meantime I will graft and select from the best of my own stock to get a better uniformity for honey colonies here next season.

 

[Headnavigator]

Keen to do so but still trying to learn all I need to go into it with a reasonable chance of doing good rather than harm. Very interested, however, and intend to do this as soon as the moment is right.
Any support or info would be gratefully received. I did join BIBBA expecting to find something in the way of learning materials that would help me on the way. Somewhat disappointed. Maybe I expected too much!

 

[fiftyjon]

Had some success grafting this year, queens were raised, mated and going into winter well, we'll see what happens in the spring!!
For next year I would say that I have a lack of suitable material to breed from.
The area were the queens were mated, seem to provide offspring of good temperament and good foraging.
May look to get a queen to breed from for next year.

 

[Poly Hive]

On a small scale, or for that matter a big scale, an incubator is quite unnecessary. For a very small outlay of time and materials you can make "nursery cages" which will confine your virgins in a super until needed. Let the bees do the work as they are the experts at it.

PH

 

[For want of a better word]

Maybe we should hold a course here in Cyprus in February. Off-season, cheap flights, hotels, hire cars ...........
Anyone interested then PM me and if we get enough interest could be done.

​

Good idea!
Got some AIRMILES !!! ( AVIOS?)

It is not the lack of all of the above, but which method to use!
Suffering from an information overload.......

Increased my stock of bees last season by various means, but II seems to be the complex way forward in selection of best genetic make up.......
As with another posteee.... stock of drones here is a mixed bunch!

​

 

[Poly Hive]

Actually the drones are vastly under estimated as a factor in successful queen rearing.

Can you influence it? Yes you can. But........

You have to form a group or find an isolated site.

Remember that when your chosen queens are laying drones they are related directly back to her parents, so although the workers may not be all that great for you if you want the lineage you have it in the drones.

In a group situation the easiest way to win is to be free with your gifts. How many beekeepers will resist the offer of free queens? Going that route you can rapidly change the drones in your area to suit you. Even if they say no their virgins are going to meet your lads anyway so.... on it goes.

PH

 

[taff..]

I've just taken deliver of a small number of Keilers and intend on putting them to good use next year

 

[Finman]

.
I have made simple my systems. I change my all queens every year but I am not in aåhurry to rear them.

I use swarming hives. I move larvae from selected hives to the swarm cell. Succeed rate is perfect and queens will be fat size.

Then i take mating hive bees from that hive which reared cells. Then, no reception problems.
A mating nuc needs only one frame of bees and a little brood. Nuc become nervous if it has no brood. When the queen start to lay, I add workers that the 3-frame nuc will be full of brood.

When new workers emerge, i see the result and the ability to lay. I start a harsh selection.
I rear so much new queens that I can drop out unwanted cases.

When the mated queen has layed several weeks, a new hive accepts the queen very well.

 

[alanf]

I do intend raising a few queens next year. Looking through the books and articles there are so many variants I'm finding it difficult to choose which way to go.

I like the idea of choosing which colony to breed from and choosing the timing rather than waiting for signs of swarming. No problem with those who do but relying on a swarm reaction isn't going to select for low swarm behaviour which I'd rank as very desirable around here. With only a few colonies I'd be looking for low risk and continuity, if it doesn't work out, learn and try again next season with minimal harm done.

 

[Queens59]

Would love to try - but having learnt the basics mostly by book and trial/error...I don't think Queen breeding work be possible...or succesful!

 

[Poly Hive]

Of course you can succeed, it just takes some patience and practice.

Looking at the poll so far it's pretty clear people want a straight forward method.

I am going to propose something shortly.

PH

 

[Norton]

A couple of people have said that they would travel to Cyprus for a queen rearing course in late February. Maybe I should produce a DVD about how we do it here. Cheaper and can be viewed again and again.

 

[Bee-Key-Pur]

I gave it a go this year and it worked great, got some nice virgin queens.

It all fell down around my ears when I moved the mating nucs to a spot a few fields over where I had sited my hive of many drones.

When I checked on them a couple of days later, my other bees had found them and robbed them all out....

I learnt alot from it and will have another go next year with what information I gained from this year...