Optimal # of hives or outyards for queen rearing

[dnichols]

I was thinking of dabbling in some of my own queen rearing this year. I have a few questions.

Is there an optimal number of colonies you need to be successful?

How many outyards do you need if any?

Is there a minimum distance from each yard to diminish the potential of inbreeding?

Is it important to know of other beekeeper colonies in the area (i.e. drone stock)?

Does that affect the overall breeding plan?


Thanks!

[jrbbees]

Strongly consider getting a copy of 'Increase Essentials' It covers all these issue and much more info you will want to have.

[dnichols]

Nobody out there has a thought? I ordered a copy of Increase Essentials but I would enjoy some input from the community.

[Kieck]

A bit more information would be helpful. What is your intention for the queen or queens? Are you planning to raise one or a few for your own hives, or are you hoping to begin selling queens? What sort of queen or queens do you want to raise/sell?

[Adrian Quiney WI]

Another question for you. How many colonies do you have now?

[Rick 1456]

JMHO, and probably just me but, I think you can be successful on whatever level you choose There are many ways to manipulate bees to generate one or more queens. I gather you are interested in something beyond that. The conclusion I have come to for myself, is, beyond artificial insemination, there are things you can do, but only so much you can actually control. There in lies the fun in beekeeping Share what assets you have available for your project.
Rick

[dnichols]

A bit more information would be helpful. What is your intention for the queen or queens? Are you planning to raise one or a few for your own hives, or are you hoping to begin selling queens? What sort of queen or queens do you want to raise/sell?

My plan is to raise my own queens for splits or an emergency and maybe a few to pass along to some hobbiest friends. Basically I want to gain experience before offering queens for sale. I currently have 6 hives. That's if they make it to spring. So far so good.

One hive has a Buckfast Queen the rest are Carnolian/Italian.

[dnichols]

JMHO, and probably just me but, I think you can be successful on whatever level you choose There are many ways to manipulate bees to generate one or more queens. I gather you are interested in something beyond that. The conclusion I have come to for myself, is, beyond artificial insemination, there are things you can do, but only so much you can actually control. There in lies the fun in beekeeping Share what assets you have available for your project.
Rick

Understand. Currently I have some simple grafting equipment, cell bars and cups, 6 mating nucs. I have 6 hives at one outyard. I had two hives at my house about a mile away but lost them this winter. ;-(. I have a friend about 8 miles away that has a farm and is allowing my to put up another outyard. I have 2 packages coming in April and 3 nucs with northern raised queens coming in May.

[Joseph Clemens]

I began beekeeping when I was 9-10 years old. For most of the next forty years I kept less than six colonies at any one time, usually only two. Every once in awhile I manipulated so the bees would raise themselves a queen. I never directly manipulated queen cells or larvae. Though I had read extensively concerning queen breeding/raising, I had convinced myself that it was too complicated and difficult for me. Meanwhile I continued working in the fields of micropropagation of plants and the configuration, assembling and repairing of PC's.

I applaud your willingness to get busy and learn to raise queens. If you stick with it, I'm sure you will succeed -- it's very rewarding.

[Kieck]

I recommend starting with what you have, dnichols, and see how it goes for you. The gene pool in U. S. honeybees may not bee as deep as is sometimes imagined, and you may find that open mating even from the small number of hives that you hive will produce results that work well for you.

Bees have mechanisms ingrained in them to avoid problems with inbreeding. I doubt you'll see much problem with it unless you are truly in a very isolated area.