Feral and Locally Mated Queen Alliance

[wayacoyote]

Some of us here have been discussing the value to using locally reared and mated queens to our operations. However, I'm ready to take it from the talk to the do. But I'm not sure how to progress or to assemble the alliance of beekeepers who are willing to progress besides just getting a list of local queen breeders out to the local association.

Any ideas?

(I had better questions last night, but the post didn't take, so feel free to freelance on this for my benefit.)
Waya

[Michael Bush]

I think it's a great idea, but requires several breeders in the same general area to work. It doesn't seem like there is enough interest for that to be likely to happen. There seems to be enough nationally to do some queen exchanges, but then they aren't local queens. :(

But if we keep working at it maybe there will be more interest.

[wayacoyote]

Our state apiarist will be speaking to our association, probably about pests etc. on Tuesday. If you have any words of wisdom or suggestions for an action plan that I could take with me to the meeting to share with him, that would be great.

so far all I can think if is compiling a list of large and small queen breeders for the state and putting out some educational materials on why local queens are important.

Waya

[Michael Bush]

>Our state apiarist will be speaking to our association, probably about pests etc. on Tuesday. If you have any words of wisdom or suggestions for an action plan that I could take with me to the meeting to share with him, that would be great.

Quit using chemicals? Let the bees build their own comb? Raise local survivors?

[wayacoyote]

Right, Michael.
I'm going to wait in the quit using chemicals for a while as my association has actually asked me to talk on this. As you know, I had to restart my apiary so I'm in my second year on SC with these hives. Since I have some interest from others in this, I hope to get a growing number of beeks doing it before taking the "radical" idea forward.

However, the interest in local survivers and locally reared queens Does seem to be a popular appriciated Theory here. so I need to find a way of helping the apiarist get this one going now.

so far I've come up with this:
Stage One
1) mail-outs to the state's associations listed on the website with returnable forms asking who rears queens.
2) put this info on his website.

Stage Two
1) compile and distribute info regarding the value added by using locally produced queens and feral survivors
2) survey swarm catchers for statistics regarding size, resiliance and productivity of feral swarms and make that available as area-specific information (kentuckians like to talk about their home counties).

etc...

Waya