A good visit

[fuzzysi]

Just thought i'd share one of those visits to the bees that makes you smile:

Hive one - caste from a few weeks ago - queen spotted and marked

Hive two - swarm from a month or so ago - queen spotted and marked

Hive three - queen that was marked a few weeks ago spotted

Hive four - mostly drones but I suspect thats where the swarm and caste came from so not all bad - but there were 4 open queen cells so there might be someone else home too

And no stings!

 

[rae]

Well done you. We're having a hell of a time nabbing the new queens in our lot. We know they're there, but they hide....

 

[Midland Beek]

Do you know not to mark new queens until they are laying eggs?

 

[victor meldrew]

German bee breeders marked their Queens before mating even

John Wilkinson

 

[Onge]

German bee breeders marked their Queens before mating even

John Wilkinson

not for open flight mating surely.

 

[fuzzysi]

well its too late now!

 

[victor meldrew]

not for open flight mating surely.

Yes for open flight mating!!

Mini nucs are prepared each containing 1 unmated marked queen + worker bees.
These are transported to off shore islands for open mating .
Each nuc is inspected before embarkation , should 1 drone be detected in one nuc ,then all of the nucs belonging to the owner of the offending nuc will be rejected.
This is done to maintain the integrity of the island drones .

John Wilkinson