Where to get a queen????????

[swarm_trapper]

Hi I was wondering were you get you carniolan queens from I just got two from a breeder and one was a drone layer!!! or what queen would you recomend and from where?

[Michael Bush]

If you got a drone layer, the breeder should replace it at no charge.

I've bought queens from many sources. I just bought 10 cordovans from McCary and so far they look good, but time will tell. I've bought them from Walter T. Kelly, Hardeman and few others I can't remember and to tell the truth they were all good and the prices were fair. I've bought queens from B. Weaver. The cost was a little more but I really liked the Buckfasts. After some of them turning vicious on me last summer, I'm trying the Carnolians, Cordovans, Ontario Italians and Russians.

[txbeeguy]

Caucasians from Bolling Bees - good all round bees. Gentle and great honey producers.

[swarm_trapper]

Hey txbeeguy where can I find those queens? what are they like? thanks

[Michael Bush]

http://www.beesource.com/suppliers/usbees.htm

I haven't had caucasians but I've seen friends who did. They were gentle, healthy, good producers. They also produces a lot of propolis. http://www.beesource.com/ubb/smile.gif But it wasn't that bad. I may try some one of these days myself.

[joens]

Bolling Bee Company
Greenville AL
334-382-6878
I thought they had a website but a quick search did not find it .If I come across it tomorrow I will post it.
Joens

[txbeeguy]

Over the years, I've used Italians, Buckfast and now Caucasians. The bees from Bolling don't seem to produce the over abundance of propolis that I've always heard about. I think it's more than say, Italians, but so far it certainly hasn't caused me any problems. The problem (if you could really call it a problem) is that the queen is hard to spot. Since these are dark bees, if the queen isn't marked, she can be quite a challenge to find! My observations about the Bolling bees are from a 10+ year period of time watching a neighbor/lady beekeeping friend of mine and her great annual honey crops. I've worked her bees with her several times and they are very easy to work. As for my own Caucasians, they were sourced from, how shall I say it?... a more "direct" source. The queen pictures on my yahoo profile were introduced mainly into Italian hives, thus the light coloured workers. My bee populations are obviously much darker now than when those pictures were taken.
I think the Caucasians make for a good "over all / all 'round" choice of bee especially for a hobbiest with neighbors around. I suspect even the supposed Varroa resistant new, 'Russian bee' has as it's beginnings the Caucasian race. These bees were originally transported to the Primorski Kray region of Russia on the trans-Siberian railway. So while they may be crosses from many different stock, I suspect they originated as Caucasians (kind of like the Italian race is to Buckfast).

[Randy Bagrowski]

I bought queens from Strachans last year. I use drone frames to reduce my mite load. I take the capped frames out, freeze a few days then return them to be cleaned out. The queens from Strachans would uncap,clean out and lay eggs in an entire frame within 24 hours. Very Hygenic. Strahchans is also a member of the New World Carniolan Projcet. I bought queens this year from Strachans, Heitkams and Taber and am presently evaluating them for my own queen production.

[swarm_trapper]

I just checked the other queen and bad news it to is a drone layer http://www.beesource.com/ubb/mad.gif

[Michael Bush]

2 for 2 doesn't sound very likely. Define what you mean by a "drone layer"? An infertile queen (i.e. a virgin who has started laying) will lay NOTHING but drone. If the queen is laying both drone and workers then she is fertile and she may lay a lot of drone because the workers BUILT a lot of drone comb.

If you indeed have an infertile queen any reputable breeder should replace it free of charge.

[swarm_trapper]

Hi the second queen started by laying 1 frame of worker brood, pretty spotty though. now they have about 4 frame of drone and none of worker. the first queen just layed drone from the begining http://www.beesource.com/ubb/frown.gif! the hive are not worth puting a new queen into if I did they probably would not make the winter. but the queen producer will give some of my money back.

[Michael Bush]

If you feed alot you never know how much they may produce by fall. I'd buy a queen, combine them and give it a try, or buy two queens feed them alot and combine them in the fall to get through the winter. It'd be fun to try wouldn't it?

Sounds like she got bred but maybe only once to one drone or something is wrong with her reproductive organs. Or there was too much inbreeding. Too much inbreeding can cause drones but they are usually in worker cells.

[swarm_trapper]

HI Mike I guess I could feed them but I probaby just combine with other hives and split next year thanks. http://www.beesource.com/ubb/biggrin.gif