View Full Version : If You Had An Island...
peletier
01-01-2009, 02:05 PM
What if you had an island where you could breed queens in relative isolation? How would you take advantage of the situation?
Pros? Cons? Comments.
magnet-man
01-02-2009, 05:47 PM
It depends upon the size of the island and how easy it is to get to it. When Tim and I took Sue's class there was a doctor from Maine that had access to an island. The problem for his bees was food. He had to go out and feed them. But if I had an island that was truly isolated, large enough for forage and easy enough to get to this is what I would do.
I would make the island a breeding ground for NWC. To do this I would take an II course from Sue since you get to keep the queens you II. Also get some II queens from Tim at Honeyrun Apiaries. I like his queens because they are derived from Sue's line and produce gentle stock. Tim is also more affordable than Sue.
After that I would offer two services. I would breed queens like crazy and offer open mating services like this location. http://www.buckfast.nl/
Now if I had 20 grand I would import semen from them and bring a true Buckfast bee back to the United States.
RayMarler
01-02-2009, 07:44 PM
If I had me an isolated island...
I'd have me some red red wine and dancing girls with grass skirts! :D
magnet-man
01-02-2009, 10:55 PM
If I had me an isolated island...
I'd have me some red red wine and dancing girls with grass skirts! :D
I don't think you would get dancing girls with grass skirts here. :D http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diomede_Islands
bleta12
01-03-2009, 12:04 AM
What if you had an island where you could breed queens in relative isolation? How would you take advantage of the situation?
Pros? Cons? Comments.
If I had an isolated island, queen rearing would be the last rearing I would do.
Probably I would try to rear Varroa in abstinence of Varroa tolerant bees.
Michael Palmer
01-03-2009, 08:59 AM
If I had an island, I wouldn't hammer in the morning....or in the evening, either.
I'd sell it for millions and millions of dollars. Then I'd set up a bee breeding program and hire the best beekeepers I know...
Tony Jadczak as project co-ordinator, Kirk Webster and Peter Borst for field work and cell production, Joe Latshaw and Adam Finkelstein to handle the insemination, Sue Coby and Ernesto de Guzman to gather the best stocks in North America, Randy Oliver as investigator, Michael Bush as web master, and a myriad of all you beekeepers from across the continent, to test the daughter queens in their apiaries.
I'd have Larry Connor and Dewey Caron teaching the wintering of nucleus colonies so our apiaries could be self sustaining. Kim Flottum would keep everyone apprised of progress and advances in the program through his monthly publication, Jim Tew and Erin Forbes would get everyone wound up with their inspirational talks, and Ann Harmon would feed everyone cake and cookies made with honey.
I bet we could raise some awsome bees. Anyone know of an island to sell?
deknow
01-03-2009, 10:29 AM
Anyone know of an island to sell?
well, yes...but we must act quickly, as the owner is only away for a short time :)
deknow
fatscher
01-03-2009, 06:30 PM
Actually I just want to check out my new profile changes. But sounds like you got some good staff. Hire Karla Eisen here in Prince William County, N. Virginia as your proposal writing expert...she got our S.A.R.E. grant that way. She's a princess with the pen and prose.:D
peletier
01-03-2009, 08:27 PM
Well, what I was getting at is this: There is an island in my county, inside the Outer Banks of North Carolina. 3.5 square miles; connected to the mainland by a drawbridge; plenty of coastal vegitation; surrounded by big water; 1600 residents, two of which are beekeepers.
What if we were to consolidate our efforts to raise queens. What if we limited the bees on the island to those we wanted to use to produce queens?
What if we had control over the virgin queens AND the entire drone population. Would we not have complete control over "open mating"?
I have read about experiments and "quarantines" on Kelley's Island in Lake Erie, as well as Martha's Vineyard. I'm sure that this "control" is what they were after with the island setting.
I wouldn't have to buy the island, or necessarily feed the bees, or travel more than 10 miles, or pay a bridge toll. Grass skirts would be optional.
Magnet Man...I think you nailed it.
i do have an island and it is not easy---please check my new thread "S.O.S." within this sub-forum for more island discussion