Jedi Qn Rearing; Recipe, Tool Box, Method

[lakebilly]

OTay you Jedi Queen rears ers;

What's the best book(s) on qn rearing?

What's your method? What would it be if you only had 8 colonies? & just starting?

What's your complete toolbox look like?

You got a favorite video link? or pics?

What's a good budget for all supplies & where do you gettem?

Have now; 8 colonies in double deeps, 2 nucs mid May, 6 nucs ordered for early June all northern sellers.
Goal is; expansion to 30 -50 in 2yrs, Honey production & then Nuc sales (down the road)


Thanks for your replies! Lb

[Michael Bush]

>What's the best book(s) on qn rearing?

In order of preference, my favorites:
http://bushfarms.com/beeshopkins1886.htm
http://bushfarms.com/beeshopkinsmethod.htm
http://bushfarms.com/beesbetterqueens.htm
http://bushfarms.com/beesmillermethod.htm
http://bushfarms.com/beesqueenrearingsimplified.htm
http://bushfarms.com/beesdoolittle.htm

>What's your method?

http://bushfarms.com/beesqueenrearing.htm

> What would it be if you only had 8 colonies? & just starting?

http://bushfarms.com/beesafewgoodqueens.htm

>What's your complete toolbox look like?

If you go with the Hopkins method you'll only really need a shim, a confinement cage made of #5 hardware cloth and some two frame nucs that take your standard frames. If you do the 1886 Hopkins method, you'll just need a sharp knife, something to melt the wax in something to paint it on the frame and some two frame mating nucs. If you want to graft or buy a graftless system, it goes up from there.

>You got a favorite video link? or pics?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZhV9pBCT-g

>What's a good budget for all supplies & where do you gettem?

You can raise queens with no special equipment whatsoever. The top four books I listed (which are free for the reading) require nothing you can't easily make or use otherwise in your beekeeping.

[lakebilly]

Great link (youtube). I'll watch it till I have it memorized. I'm gonna work backwards w/ questions cuz they're the freshest in my mind.

1. the 8 frame mating nuc in the pic, is that over a hive w/ a screen?

2. How long do you keep queens in mating nuc to slow down their laying? and when you transfer them to the queen bank do you continue the 2:1 honey feed? how long can they stay in queen bank? What do you do if you don't use them by?(what month)

[Michael Bush]

>1. the 8 frame mating nuc in the pic, is that over a hive w/ a screen?

I don't have any 8 frame mating nucs. I have some four ways (ten frame boxes divided into four 2 frame nucs) some two ways (five frame nucs divided into 2 frame nucs) and some 2 frame mating nucs. I have a few three and four frame nucs and quite a few five frame nucs. I probably will divide some eight frame boxes into three next time I need nucs, but I have never done it. None are over a hive with a screen. All are their own compartment with solid bottom boards. Some are stacked up like apartment houses due to space limitations. (the horses run the pasture).

>2. How long do you keep queens in mating nuc to slow down their laying?

Usually they are still in the mating nuc. If you were going to do it a day or two would probably do it.

> and when you transfer them to the queen bank do you continue the 2:1 honey feed?

I seldom feed at all unless there is a dearth. I never feed a queen bank. I just put some capped honey in if there is a dearth and otherwise let them forage.

> how long can they stay in queen bank?

I try not to bank them at all or at least not more than a day or two. But I have experimented on the subject and had queens that were banked more than four months and put them in a hive and they were laying up a storm four days later.

>What do you do if you don't use them by?(what month)

I don't have that issue really. I sell them faster than I can raise them, but I have banked them for months and they still layed fine. I have tried banking them overwinter as well with mixed success with a terrarium heater. When I get time I would like to experiment more with that.