Queen suppliers: Who's your favorite and why?

[fatscher]

MEGA SUPPLIER: I got fantastic service from C.K. Koehnen, but it was late in the year (August 08), so the demand was low. I called 'em up, gave 'em my credit card, in 48 hrs my queens were going in the hive. Bravo.

SMALL SUPPLIER: VP Queens (http://www.vpqueenbees.com/) out of Frederick, MD (this is adamf's operation). Adam gets his breeders from Glenn and others. Good, hardy, mite resistant stock, and gentle too. I was in a pinch last July when one of my queens failed, Adam sold me a utility queen for 50% off...she's one of my best producers of brood. Adam is like the small town business, that your grandmother swears is the best around, he doesn't crank out bull, and puts serious TLC quality into each of the queens he produces.

CLASSY SUPPLIER: Mike Palmer gave a queen to my mentor in exchange for some videography work she did when Mike was a featured guest speaker at the April 2008 Virginia State Beekeepers' Association mtg.

FUTURE SUPPLIER: I'm curious to order from Mike Bjorn someday.

[tecumseh]

fatscher writes:
Adam is like the small town business, that your grandmother swears is the best around, he doesn't crank out bull, and puts serious TLC quality into each of the queens he produces.

tecumseh:
quality is hard to quantify, but not so difficult to recognize.

besides producing my own queens my regular sources are Bill Klett who sells me minnesota hygenic cell and I also buy mated queens from bweaver. I would have no problem in recommending eiher firm for their product. the product each of these folks provides is significant enough that it would be difficult to compare the two.

[pennstatepitt]

I haven't bought queens alone from bjorn apiaries, but I bought a couple nucs from him a couple years back and was very happy with them.

[danno1800]

and they were terrrific...Adam & Kelly are doing a great job and are easy to deal with...HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! -Danno

[Morris]

I purchased some Russian Queens last year from Hubbert Tubbs. The queens worked out quite well and built up nicely. They arrived on the promised date. They were active and ready to start a family.

He was also very helpfull and willing to spend some time with me and my questions on the phone.

The hives that I started with these queeens have had very low mite counts.

Bottom line, I will purchase from him again for 2009.

Morris

[Morris]

I should add that I have also purchased queens from Purvis Bros. apiaries. His queens are also excellent.

Morris

[thomas]

Hello i have tried the queens from kohen and found them to be great and the people are very nice to deal with and i also get my queens from tim at honey run they are the most gentlest bees you can ask for and when he say they will be on time they normally are. I hhave tried a couple of queens from VP queens but i found that the ones i got are very mean and he did not send me the line that he said he had i asked for a dark bee and the queen is very dark but her offspring looks like italians and not carni's. I also got a couple of queens from bjorn and they did real well and very gentle i would buy from him .

THOMAS

[adamf]

H I hhave tried a couple of queens from VP queens but i found that the ones i got are very mean and he did not send me the line that he said he had i asked for a dark bee and the queen is very dark but her offspring looks like italians and not carni's.
THOMAS

Hi Thomas,
I sent you the exact queens that I sent to all the other folks who found them to do well--not one of our customers has had problems with temper besides you. We state very clearly that we do not breed for color, and I made that clear to you. If you were not satisfied with our queens, why didn't you contact me? I would have tried to work out any problems you had.

Adam Finkelstein
www.vpqueenbees.com

[fatscher]

I would have tried to work out any problems you had.


Not trying to pile-on to Thomas, but adam makes a valid point---call him and I know he will work out your problem---that's his business mojo. Let me explain more detail:

When I said Adam bailed me out of a pinch when one of my queens failed, here's the real "Paul Harvey" story. I had bought a queen from Adam in early July to make an overwintering nuc. Then, a week later while inspecting the nuc, this queen flew right off the frame I was inspecting, off into the honey colored sunset! She didn't really fail, she just never returned. Knowing that Adam was not in any way responsible, I called him up a week later laughing about the whole ordeal. Adam wasn't laughing though---he was puzzled, and maybe a little bothered (i could tell in his voice) that one of his stock had done this.

Now think about this. You're a queen breeder and a customer calls you up to tell you his queen he bought from you flew away. You might say, well I'm not responsible. And you'd be right! You AREN'T responsible. But adam never pushed me away, trying to absolve himself of the problem ---which by the way could've been his right to do. Rather, he said I know how we can solve your problem.

To me that's service above and beyond the call. Queens are valuable and customers will pay a lot for good stock. But Adam felt loyalty to customer was worth more than an extra dollar in his pocket. So take it from me, if you ever have a problem, Adam wants the feedback---certainly, he likes feedback when things are successful, but he knows that in this business, good bed-side manner is as big an investment as the queens he sells.

[thomas]

Hello Adam i meant no harm or disrespect i still have both queens and they are doing well i found them to be a little warm but thats nothing to me i have had bees where you could not walk out side without getting stung. I have just had so much trouble with light color bees getting mites where my dark bees i do not have to worry about but i am using your two queens this spring for my drone hives for my nucs to mate with my young queens i will raise this year. They are good queens they put more honey away for this winter then some of my others and a great brood pattern i am going to make splits from them also.

THOMAS

[Fred Bee]

In recent years I have had good service and good queens from Tim at Honey Run and from Koehnen & Sons and from Wooten's Golden Queens.

[Flyman]

H & R apiaries in Georgia has done a good job for me. Almost all the queens "take" and they are good producers of gentle stock. They even replaced an order of 6 queens that were sent to the wrong zip code. The post office let them sit until they died. If they had called (number was in big print on the outside of the package) I would have come and got them. They were less than 20 minutes from my house (another story, sorry).

[WG Bee Farm]

Adam,
I sometimes have problems with people that want a "Carnnie" dark queen, however, I tell them up front that these are open mated queens and I quanantee that these dark Carn. queens mate with some Yellow Italian Queens.

Frank Wyatt

[wayacoyote]

I'm reading about Healthy Bees for today and the future (articles by Kirt Webster in 2006) where he's promoting locally aclimitized bees.

Anyone practicing this by Ownly buy locally produced queens?

while I've been a proponent of local stock for years, I'm more and more thinking that bees that are selected and bred to be productive in Texas, Georgia, and California might not be The Most productive in Kentucky.

[beedeetee]

these dark Carn. queens mate with some Yellow Italian Queens.


You have lesbian bees?

[Camp9]

I've had good luck with Purvis and Mountian Valley

[Michael Palmer]

I'm reading about Healthy Bees for today and the future (articles by Kirt Webster in 2006) where he's promoting locally aclimitized bees.

Anyone practicing this by Ownly buy locally produced queens?

while I've been a proponent of local stock for years, I'm more and more thinking that bees that are selected and bred to be productive in Texas, Georgia, and California might not be The Most productive in Kentucky.

You've had your eureka moment, Waya! Seriously though. Is there any other way? Of course you'll get great queens by raising them from locally adapted survivor stock. In the 90s, Kirk talked me into following his lead. Actually it's Brother Adam's plan. Raise queens from your best stock, and winter the resulting queens. The plan changed my beekeeping forever, and I'm sold.

So, who's my favorite queen supplier? Why me of course. :-)

[cow pollinater]

I'll give another vote for Koehnens as I have bought alot of queens from them and have yet to be dissatisfied. I will also Throw out the name Terry Hester in Georgia who sells on ebay. I bought Minnasota Hygenic queens from him last year. The first shipment got lost in the mail and arived dead. They were replaced without hesitation even though they were to far out for the insurance to cover them. The Queens that I recieved from him were well mated and are heading some hives that are performing as well as anything I've ever had. The uniformity among the hives headed by his queens is amazing.

[BULLSEYE BILL]

I should add that I have also purchased queens from Purvis Bros. apiaries. His queens are also excellent.

Morris

Been there, done that. NEVER AGAIN!!!!!

[Dan Williamson]

Hi Thomas,
I sent you the exact queens that I sent to all the other folks who found them to do well--not one of our customers has had problems with temper besides you. We state very clearly that we do not breed for color, and I made that clear to you. If you were not satisfied with our queens, why didn't you contact me? I would have tried to work out any problems you had.

Adam Finkelstein
www.vpqueenbees.com (http://www.vpqueenbees.com)

The problem Adam is that some would prefer to complain on an open forum about their perceived problems and issues rather than directing their complaints to the person/supplier at question. Its very underhanded, unfair, and frankly I lose any respect for folks that do such things.

I have nothing but good things to say about VP Queens, Bjorn Apiaries, and Honey Run Apiaries.

[beemandan]

Been there, done that. NEVER AGAIN!!!!!
Re Purvis
Been there, done that. AND WILL AGAIN....WITHOUT ANY RELUCTANCE!!!!!!

[adamf]

Adam,
I sometimes have problems with people that want a "Carnnie" dark queen, however, I tell them up front that these are open mated queens and I quanantee that these dark Carn. queens mate with some Yellow Italian Queens.

Frank Wyatt

Hello Frank,
We have the color spectrum in our breeders. If one reads through the literature,
worker color is usually lower priority than other traits to breed for.

Your right--unless we're putting all our energy into color uniformity (which of course we're not) workers are going to be mixed for the most part.

Anyone want to rent me an island or isolated valley for $1.00/year?

:)

Adam Finkelstein
www.vpqueenbees.com

[adamf]

I have nothing but good things to say about VP Queens, Bjorn Apiaries, and Honey Run Apiaries.

Dan (Danno and Fatscher),
Thanks for the positive feedback. I am encouraged by your words.
I'm sure Mike and Tim are also encouraged.

:)
Adam Finkelstein
www.vpqueenbees.com

[BULLSEYE BILL]

Re Purvis
Been there, done that. AND WILL AGAIN....WITHOUT ANY RELUCTANCE!!!!!!

While it is obvious that anyone who is in business and stays in business will have more good experiences with customers than bad, it is the way that a business deals with the occasional problem that is the true mark of a good business.

When a serious problem arose with my order and I was told in my first contact that they would help; even stated later on this forum that they would go the extra mile, in private they would not. It took a year to get my refund from the post office, it could have taken much less time if they would have taken just a little time to intervene for me.

I am glad that you are having a good relationship with Dan, and I am sure that you will continue to right up to the time that you need some help from him. I can assure you that he is not a man of his word.

[beemandan]

While it is obvious that anyone who is in business and stays in business will have more good experiences with customers than bad, it is the way that a business deals with the occasional problem that is the true mark of a good business.


It could just as easily be that your one bad experience wasn't representative of Purvis' problem solving. You've brought this up on other occasions. Its been a while. I haven't seen anyone else jumping in with similar complaints. Maybe its time to give 'em a break.

[Michael Palmer]

I haven't seen anyone else jumping in with similar complaints. Maybe its time to give 'em a break.

I haven't heard much good about his stock. Lots of chalk, and they only build up so far, and then just sit there. This from several beekeepers, in three New England states, and lots of queens to follow.

[beemandan]

I haven't heard much good about his stock.
That, I believe, is a different issue entirely from BB's.
I can't speak for how his stock does in your neck of the woods but I haven't had any problems myself or heard any complaints down this way.

[Marc]

I had similar experiences to what Michael Palmer described regarding the Purvis queens. I have only 8 hives total, but wanted to run two with Purvis queens, so I bought two this year and received them at the end of June. Both hives that received the queens showed massive chalkbrood in the following weeks I noticed it around week 3 after the introduction of the queens). One of the two hives went queenless about two weeks later. The second queen is still there, the chalkbrood eventually cleared up. Given the price I paid and what I had read about them I had higher hopes regarding the performance of those queens. To be fair, the surviving queen has done a decent job for the remainder of the year, but that chalkbrood episode caught me really by surprise.

In contrast, I ordered a queen from Zia Bees (?) and one from Koehnen (I wanted a golden Cordovan). Both queens were great, very productive, very easy to work with. I am excited to see how they overwinter here in central Indiana, especially the Koehnen queen (California stock). I can highly recommend both companies.

[Action]

FLYER JIM-He has the best queens around here!
Jack

[Keith Jarrett]

Yeah Jack, and the best price too.

[Action]

Come on Keith-You know you use Jims queens? You just want to keep it quite! Come on let it out.
Jack

[Keith Jarrett]

I know it Jack, this year I'm going to pick through all the live ones and let Jimmy work his magic on the deads ones.LOL Yeah but you got the Best olives.

[josethayil]

Daykel Apiaries in north New Zealand are great.
They provide Great pure carniolan queens.

They are great people to deal with. In my experience they have queens for sale when i need them. All the queens which I bought from them were great, they layed good pattern and produced a lot of honey. The bees are very gentle and easy to work with.

[WG Bee Farm]

Hello Frank,
We have the color spectrum in our breeders. If one reads through the literature,
worker color is usually lower priority than other traits to breed for.

Your right--unless we're putting all our energy into color uniformity (which of course we're not) workers are going to be mixed for the most part.

Anyone want to rent me an island or isolated valley for $1.00/year?

:)

Adam Finkelstein
www.vpqueenbees.com

Get you some valley property between some large mountains. That should isolate you enough to get true color.
Like you; color is the least of my selection process. There are just too many other considerations.

Frank Wyatt


"sometime you can't see the forest for the trees."

[adamf]

Daykel Apiaries in north New Zealand are great.
They provide Great pure carniolan queens. They are great people to deal with.

Dave Yanke, the owner of Daykel, is an expert bee breeder. He also is very willing to be helpful and he openly shares information. You're lucky to be able to get stock from him!

Adam Finkelstein
www.vpqueenbees.com

[adamf]

I know it Jack, this year I'm going to pick through all the live ones and let Jimmy work his magic on the deads ones.LOL Yeah but you got the Best olives.

I'll bite: what are "Best olives"?

Adam Finkelstein
www.vpqueenbees.com

[vajerzy]

I think the best queens are the ones you raise yourself from your existing stock.

[dbest]

We use Aussie queens for splits after almonds. We've had chalk brood problems with them starting in June/ July. The reason we use them is that we can't get enough anywhere else that time of year. As soon as they can provide them in large numbers (June/July) we use Rossmans. We use Rossmans for 2 main reasons, one is they have good queens that we have had great success with and the other is that they're great to deal with. I can call and in less than a minute on the phone I have a hundred or more queens headed my way. We use these mosty to re-queen the aussie's. Last time I ran the numbers 30% of our stock were Rossmans. With that said, I have to agree with vajerzy, If you have the time and abiltiy raising your own from the strongest in your stock is a great idea.

[beebze]

My favorite queen producers are Purvis Brothers, Kona (Gus), Pat H, Leneord P, Koehnen, and a few others. All these have great service. I have some problems the first of April with well mated queens. beggers can't be choosers. After April 15 it's not much of an issue. I used to buy from Wayne Dersh he had really good queens used to buy alot from him. But do to labor problems he got out of selling queens.

I will say that over the years of buying queens from Dan Purvis that he also has great queens. Dan is a man of his word and he has gone the extra mile for me and many others. I know some of you mite of had problems with him but there is always 2 sides to an issue. Also there are many variables involved, which most of us won't ever know and problably don't won't to know. Buying and selling anything has it's own set of issues. Enough said.

When I recieve queens I put a Printed tag (the kind nurseries us to tag trees) on the hives. The tag has the queen producers name, year of the queen and I write the date when added. I spend a few hundred plus dollars on these tags. These tags come in different colors which is nice. My neighbor has a nursery and he prints these tags out for me. This way I can tell how they winter, honey production, temperment, build up in spring, mite load, and a few others. I used to use ribbon tape but over a summer and winter they faded to much for example: I couldn't tell red from pink.
I also try to get marked queens when I can.

Thanks

Happy New Year All!

Andy