Sources for April 08' queens

[spunky]

Other than the texas Weavers apiary's, anyone got a dependable source of April queens ?


I just need one

input ??


regards
Brad

[Dan Williamson]

I'm supposed to be getting a batch of them from Olivarez the second week of April or so... I'll be putting them in the nucs I plan to sell. When I talk to them next month I can see if they'd put an extra one in there for you or something if you'd want to drive up this way. Might be a little far though.

[spunky]

I'm supposed to be getting a batch of them from Olivarez the second week of April or so... I'll be putting them in the nucs I plan to sell. When I talk to them next month I can see if they'd put an extra one in there for you or something if you'd want to drive up this way. Might be a little far though.


Thanks for the thought Dan, yea the gas would suck up the price of second queen. I am just wanting to split one of my hives pre may swarm season

[michituck]

Might check with Fat Beeman.
I got 2 from him this year.
Very pleased with them.

[Panhandle Bee man]

Look here.

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

make some phone calls, subsribe to ABJ, or Bee Culture, lots of adds.

[sierrabees]

<I am just wanting to split one of my hives pre may swarm season>

Why not just keep a close eye on them in the spring and when they start the first queen cells leave the first cells and one frame of brood in the old location, move the queen and the rest of the brood and young bees several feet away, and if you don't want the new queen they make re-queen later when you can be more certain the queen you get is adequately bred. The last time I bought April queens they were all losers because we had bad weather during the time they should have taken their mating flight. None of them kept laying more than five months after they were introduced but they appearantly still produced enough queen substance that the bees didn't supercede them before it was too late. I strongly feel that if I had waited until mid to late May for delivery I would have had much better results.

[WVbeekeeper]

http://www.konaqueen.com/index.html

Kona Queen Hawaii. I'd suspect they'd have queens earlier than Weavers.

[spunky]

<I am just wanting to split one of my hives pre may swarm season>

Why not just keep a close eye on them in the spring and when they start the first queen cells leave the first cells and one frame of brood in the old location, move the queen and the rest of the brood and young bees several feet away, and if you don't want the new queen they make re-queen later when you can be more certain the queen you get is adequately bred. The last time I bought April queens they were all losers because we had bad weather during the time they should have taken their mating flight. None of them kept laying more than five months after they were introduced but they appearantly still produced enough queen substance that the bees didn't supercede them before it was too late. I strongly feel that if I had waited until mid to late May for delivery I would have had much better results.


The bees I am splitting I dont like. I want to introduce new genetics to the yard, my yard is isolated. The hive I like , I was thinking of doing a mid may walk away split with.

I will have to see what I have left after winter

Thanks for the replys

[shughes]

my best queens came from Jack Tapp this year. my mite counts for his Minnesota Hygenic queens were lowest of all my hives. Jack typically waits until April before selling his queens to the public.

I did not see his name on the us bees link so posting below:

Busy Bee Apiaries
Jack Tapp
1201 New Hope Ch. Rd.
Chapel Hill, NC 27516
ORANGE County
Phone: (919)942-2006

[Fred Bee]

Honey Run Apiaries has great NWC Queens, but Tim may be booked into May already.

http://www.honeyrunapiaries.com/queens.phtml

I have also used Wilbanks for Italian Queens with good success. They are located in Claxton, Georgia (912) 739-4820.

I have been told that Rossman has good queens, out of south Georgia as well...

http://www.gabees.com/pkg_bees.htm

Hope you find what you are looking for!

[spunky]

Does anyone know where Walter T. Kelly gets his Russian queens he advertises with his packages ??? I am sure they are Russian/Italian mutts.

Again thanks for the replys

[dug_6238]

>Walter T. Kelley > Possibly Hardeman...(I think I've heard this.)

It might be nice if someone on here could confirm or deny this - I am not real happy with some of the stuff I got from Hardemans. And yooy - the mites on them this fall - WOW.

-dp

ADDED: I went back and found this link: http://www.beesource.com/forums/showpost.php?p=232479&postcount=20