What is your objective? How many queens do you need to rear and why this early?
Those temperatures are low for regular bee flight and very very low for matting.
My advice is not to rush the season when it comes to queen rearing.



Good luck
Gilman

 

I've often heard and read that if you have sealed drone brood, go ahead and start raising your queens. There is never any mention of minimum temps in the stuff I've read.

My reluctance to raising early queens is the fickle weather in SE Missouri that would hamper and hinder mating flights. Most of my yards are slick and muddy that getting in creates a problem, even for a 4x4.

On the other hand, my preference is to wait until May when the ground dries up, nectar and pollen sources are abundant and the weather is somewhat settled.

If I were you, I'd go for it. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Besides, if it doesn't work now, raise another crop when it gets warmer.

Grant
Jackson, MO

 

What are you planning to do? How many, and how will they be mated? Where will they be used? Is everything else ready/

 

Drones need to be 17-20 days old before they're sexually mature for mating.

 

I just need 2 or 3 for myself. I was going to let them make their own queen. There is tons of pollen coming in and I am feeding them.
Kingfisher

 

If hive conditions are quite crowded with good numbers of drones, and if daytime temps are consistently 65F or above with strength of pollen coming in, then is when I start thinking of making splits.

 

You'll be OK. No worries.

 

Keep in mind that before you think queen rearing, you should think drone rearing. You must start rearing your drones at least 14 days before your start your queens; this will ensure that your drones are mature enough to mate with the queens you produce, also when going into queen production you must keep in mind the drone:queen ratio for successful matings. I would make sure temps are at least 65 degrees or higher to ensure mating flights.
Good luck;
Chas

 

Queens go on mating flights at 70 Degrees or better.

 

Is it a OK gamble to start now and hope that is warm enough in a few weeks for mating flights?
Kingfisher

 

Hope?? Ask any of the many successful beekeepers on this forum if that is how they operate. You may find some that will recommend that, but then again they are not among the "successful" ones. Don't set your self up for failure, plan accordingly and you will be Ok. Make sure conditions are adequate and act based on that, and you will then be able to hope to reap the fruit of your labor, every job worth doing, is worth doing right the first time.

Chas

 

Sure.