8 weeks.... not a laugh a true story.

[Poly Hive]

Pro Bee Farmer told me this week it has taken in the Highlands (and dry this year but cold) 8 weeks for virgins to mate. Now how successful they turn out to be is obviously another matter.. but I was and am astonished.

PH

 

[VEG]

Please keep us informed as to how they get on if they get mated properly then it will give some hope to others

 

[SixFooter]

Terrible year for Virgins. Still had early swarms, but the queen left behind didnt get mated in quite a few colonies. Used test frames a lot and these led to some late matings, but very little honey.

 

[Andy Duff]

lost 2 virgin queens this year. Not a good year.

 

[Headnavigator]

Not at all surprised, same must have happened here on Wight in one of my colonies, couldn't believe it at first either!

 

[mbc]

More instances of bees defying the books !
My bees have decided to shun conventional bee biology this year and most of my virgins have hatched 20/21 days after the eggs were layed, hardly any exceptions going the "right" direction, towards 16 days from egg to emergence but quite a few going the other way, up to 24 days from egg to hatching with no cooling I can think of that would account for the delay !

 

[jackbee]

could that possibly have been workers keeping the mature but un-emerged queens in the cells before deciding to let them emerge??

 

[mbc]

could that possibly have been workers keeping the mature but un-emerged queens in the cells before deciding to let them emerge??

Nope, these were cells hatching into emergence cages.

 

[justme]

Interesting, as said before, will give others some hope. I've heard of 6 weeks to lay before, this year and last but assumed it was just a delay to lay, not mate. Conversley this year ive collected 2 swarms that have gone laying worker within 7-10 days of collection (and 1 last year) and another this year that was laying worker when collected, 2/3 weeks after moving into someones trailer. Already had sealed drone brood and all eggs in huge multiples, no sign of queen and very small amount of bees. Weird things happening.............?

 

[tonybloke]

had a queentake 7 weeks to come into lay last year ( the bees superceded her straight away)
but no problems at all this year, in fact very early matings, one was laying on day 27!!

 

[oliver90owner]

My first thoughts on reading the OP was that Scottish beekeepers are clearly far more believable than ex-pats living in France (the 'treat or not' varroa thread). Not even a suggestion that they could not count or that the records were inaccurate - just accepted as correct even with a bit of astonishment.

Shame these acceptances cannot be transferred to other findings.

Eight weeks is most certainly pushing the envelope and I doubt that the queens will be vey 'durable', but it just goes to show that the 'general rules' are just that -general guidance. I would not be expecting it to be a normal occurrence, in more normal conditions where the well accepted timings will prevail.

 

[blackcavebees]

Doesn't surprise me, I had all but given up after 6 weeks before she finally started to lay. A month later they superseded her. Just trying to get them built up for winter

 

[Outlander]

Hope for our virgins get then though you’re right how successfully will they become. Be interesting to know the outcome. We in Norfolk must be lucky with our weather and virgins. The two Village Girl had both managed to get themselves mated during the bad weather we had.

 

[Poly Hive]

Just for information Rab, the people concerned are very well known to me personally and have been for some 25 years.

They sponsored me into the Bee Farmers Assoc for instance.

If they tell me it is so, it is so. I believe them.

There is you see a wee difference in the situations. I thought you knew me a bit better than this.

I should add they are rather good at numbers, and at making numbers pay.

PH

 

[beeno]

It is not a case of "Inside every old person there is a young one wondering what happened.' then.

 

[oliver90owner]

I know some of your weaknesses quite well. A closed mind where anything other than 'investigated at craibstone' and a few other telling foibles.

Apart from the varroa thread, I note your post re queen excluders - being very generally dismissive of the OP. I actually am astute enough to understand why queen excluders are part of your system, but others may not even think about the simple underlying reason. In fact I doubt whether many have even given it a thought - but a few will now, hopefully.

You said, quote 'I find them an essential tool of my operation.' .

Not really surprising in your particular and 'non-regular' system of operation, is it?

I was commenting, as innocuously as possible, on your apparent intransigence and disbelief of the other beekeeper, where other systems of hive management were offered as a way forwad for overcoming the varroa problem, but anything from your 'associates of 25 years' is gospel.

I am not disbelieving the claims, but just find the difference in attitude somewhat disparate, depending on the situation. If you can't get your head around a well documented and widely reported 'anomaly', don't knock it without giving it some really well considered thought, is what I think - and others need to question the reasons for the apparent total disbelief of a different system being better in some ways than the present state of affairs (which is far from ideal).

 

[Into the lions den]

Pro Bee Farmer told me this week it has taken in the Highlands (and dry this year but cold) 8 weeks for virgins to mate. Now how successful they turn out to be is obviously another matter.. but I was and am astonished.PH

Sadly this is not a situation that bodes well for spring 2013, we have lots of similar things happened, though would have gone to 6 or 7 weeks and by 8 weeks I'm afraid I would have turfed the lot out or refreshed it with three or four of brood and probably a fresh cell if still early enough. had to do a lot of shake outs of dud queens this year, and queens that just never did mate and eventually vanished several weeks later. Yes to the poster who said it, many of this years started supercedure cells immediately the new queen got going. 2011 was just as bad, actually probably worse...............

 

[Poly Hive]

I pointed out Rab that the discussion/argument over the pros and cons of excluders has been on going for as long as they have been around. Yes they are essential to my operation, bit tricky selling comb honey with brood in it...lol

I refute that I am blind to anything outside of Craibstone, although I am deeply saddened that so much seems to have been discarded by the College in their ignorance.

I most sincerely wish that a "cure" for Varroa will be found soon but as I said and say again if the French are so successful why are we not hearing about it? I am unconvinced and will remain so until there is wider proof. I suspect that the answer is going to come via a DNA angle which I believe is being worked on here in the UK but that in turn raises questions about the rights and wrongs of removing a creature totally from the eco system. Not so sure I would have qualms about midges though...

PH

 

[Chris Luck]

Still not read the study then Poly?

Chris

 

[Beeyonce]

I had a virgin take 7 weeks to lay this year, only to be superseded 2 or 3 weeks after she started......new virgin pops out tomorrow or the day after. Hopefully. Fingers crossed with this one!