[Mbeck]

I have a couple hives I load down with drone brood removed from hives I feel produce exceptional bees.

I try to keep a caged virgin in these hives which encourages them to accept and care for an excess population of drones and drone brood.

Sometimes she last days sometimes weeks.

Would 2 or more separately caged virgins work just as well?

 

[sqkcrk]

Dr. Larry Connor talked about doing this just this past weekend. He put his drone brood frames, four to a deep box, each in between other frames, not all together, w/ a caged virgin queen in the hive also. He didn't detail where in the hive he keeps the VQ. Maybe details are in his "Raising Queens Essentials" book, from Wicwas Press.

 

[Michael Palmer]

Where was Larry this past weekend?

 

[sqkcrk]

Batavia, NY. At the NY Bee Wellness Workshop. He's home now. If he hasn't jetted off to some other conference.

 

[sqkcrk]

Larry Connor says that his suggestions on drone hives can be found in "Bee Sex Essentials" from wicwaspress.com.

 

[Mbeck]

http://www.wicwas.com/sites/default/files/articles/Bee_Culture/BC2003-12.pdf


I had copied that link with the intent to post with my question, I forgot.

That is the basic method I use. I'm not alway as diligent managing and adding worker brood as I should be but I often "knock" some nurse bees into them.

I place the VQ next to a frame of emerging worker brood. I've yet to have them make a new Queen or draw in recently mated queen returning home.