question

[jesuslives31548]

I run around 50 or so double deep hives and plan to increase this year to maybe 80. I have never been concerned with Queen production, was just to easy to purchase elsewhere. But I'm having a change of heart, can anyone recommend where to start, what to read or what you would consider the simple easy way to produce queens. All advise will be gladly excepted. My normal process is simple, remove top box, make sure eggs present, place on SCB, top and move to another location. Has worked 85% of the time. Thanks everyone.......

[RayMarler]

I highly recommend you rear your own queens, as I recommend to anyone with beehives to do. You learn so much more about the hives this way. As far as which method is easiest or best, you yourself will have to make that decision. I highly recommend reading the queen rearing sections on Michael Bush's website, You'll not find any more info anywhere and it's all free.

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesqueenrearing.htm

Ray

[jesuslives31548]

Thank you putz, I have looked over his material before. I will take all advise...

[Ian]

>>All advise will be gladly excepted.

Well, my advice is to find a good supplier and buy in your queens.
Small scale queen rearing is good, and is done by countless beekeepers,
I have to point out that, just because you grew them doesnt make them better.
Also you have to consider the termendious time and effort involved in making up enough queens to suit an 80 hive operation, also considering your queen loss rate and depending on how you make them up, with that queen loss rate you will have stock loss that accompanies those queen cells, loss production.

I have tried it, for a few years even, spending endless time on education, and in the field, spending quite a bit of money and after it all, I found my operations run much more profitable with bought in queens.

YOur going to be hard pressed to out breed some those US queen breeders,

[jesuslives31548]

Thank you, your advise will be added in.

[tecumseh]

harry h laidlaw, jr... contemporary queen rearing.

unlike honey production, queen rearing requires a good deal of detail and a fairly rigid time line. a middle course might be to find a local source to buy ripe queen cells. one large advantage to this is you have cells from ai queens without having to invest or maintain a ai'ed queen, plus the detail of grafting and finishing cells are left to someone else.

grafting is the normal mean by which most commercial folks produce large quantities of cells. it is not necessarily the best way to go about rearing queens, but it is something that requires (imho) practice, practice, and more practice if you wish to become comfortable in rearing queens in this manner.

[Mathispollenators]

Contemorary Queen Rearing have it in my hand now. You can use it as long as you need it. I have another copy don't really need two. I have a few other things I don't need if you are interested that may help.

Raising queens isn't easy and not for everybody that's for sure. Personally I've never wanted to do it. Dad has nearly begged me to learn how and has or had all the stuff to do it. Heck he wants my wife to do it now and she's not intrested. You have to have personal traits I know I don't have for raising queens. Steady hand, good eyes, and paitents things I don't have and I know it. I've tried and I'm just to rough with the needle couldn't gain the control I needed. Got mad when I got a low average and quit trying not good but true.

[jesuslives31548]

Mathispollenators I will get with you at the end of next week and you can explina the basics to my son. Look forward to meeting you.

[wildbranch2007]

>>

Well, my advice is to find a good supplier and buy in your queens.

Also you have to consider the termendious time and effort involved in making up enough queens to suit an 80 hive operation, also considering your queen loss rate and depending on how you make them up, with that queen loss rate you will have stock loss that accompanies those queen cells, loss production.



Ian in a previous post you said you get all your queens from Olivarez. We have been looking for good queens. on average do you know how many are droan layers, superceded soon after introduction, and how many swarm early the next season?? We can't raise our own early enough for people that want nucs but so far we get better results with our own queens. most last at least two years and quite a few go three years, I only had two swarms from my own queens and only requeen every two years. although raising queens takes time and work, replacing droan layers and chasing swarms is time consuming also. thanks mike

[Ian]

>>Olivarez. We have been looking for good queens. on average do you know how many are droan layers, superceded soon after introduction, and how many swarm early the next season??

We usually run around 95% acceptance rate, and perhaps another 1% drone layer, sometimes 2% for our operation total found in fall. We dont mark our queens, so supercedure isnt exactly known.
As for swarming, usually we make the better spring splits from the younger queened hives, and if the spring hammers in, we do lose some to swarms.
BUT, I dont know of a beekeeper who really should complain about that problem,.. Just get your work done on time and keep them alive :)