Bickerstaff

[Hivemaker.]

I have no direct personal experience of the Bickerstaff product, but have heard from satisfied buyers, albeit in southern Britain only. Greek experience here is only with Batsis product

The product is from Batsis,imported by Bickerstaffes

I seem to remember reading some Australian research which pretty conclusively found queens left for a length of time (IIRC 3 weeks after mating - I'll see how my google foo is working and try and dig out a linky) had a much better chance of being accepted.

That is correct, has a lot to do with the pheromone levels.

 

[Into the lions den]

The only queens, including our own early harvested ones, that showed an appreciably poorer aceptance rate were Instrumentally Inseminated ones. We had very poor acceptance with those. All queens that had either produced a proper pattern, or were just started to lay (you can tell duds reasonably easily), either own bred or bought in, have had broadly similar acceptance rates. That has to have circumstance borne in mind though, any race being introduced to A.m.m. has a poorer acceptance rate than if they are being introduced to ligustica or carnica.

Thus the results of beekeeper A cannot really be compared to those of beekeeper B, uness all their circumstances match.

Do not dispute the Australian findings though, but wonder what impact they really have 'at the sharp end'.

 

[mbc]

Do not dispute the Australian findings though, but wonder what impact they really have 'at the sharp end'.

"The proof is in the pudding", as they say, I wondered about the relevance to my beekeeping at the time I read it and bemoaned the fact that I couldnt find anything closer to home on the subject, makes reading of other peoples experiences on places like this forum all the more valuable.
I wondered about whether introducing a newly laying queen too soon making any difference later on in her career, I suppose if she was slightly but unnoticeable damaged upon introduction then she'd certainly be more likely to be superceded but could there be any subtler effects, less vigour or less longevity perhaps ?

 

[theengraver]

To raise good queens you need a few thing to be spot on
1: very good breeder queen

2 :Strong starter hives i use around 30 so after they have been used once they get a rest and new young bees can emerge in force consantly feed a rich diet as starting queens hammers the hell out of them and if needed add an extra 1 to 2 kilos of fresh bee part way throu the season

3: Don`t be afraid to cull any queen that does not look or proform if you tempted to start keeping sub standard queens reavaluate you breeder and starter hives.

 

[farbee]

Well this is my most successful post in terms of replies. I thought the discussion might go down these lines. I will get queen in the UK seems to be the upshot.
I find the whole queen breeding thing fascinating but beyond me at present.
The main issue has to be the mating; who knows who your girls will fly with in a built up area and some seem to end up with the bees from hell!! So II is really the only way to go and is far too expensive on a small scale. So although local sounds great is it realistic?

 

[mbc]

So although local sounds great is it realistic?

Of course ! By letting your virgins mate naturally with the local drones, you are in effect preserving the local genetics ( whatever they are ) for future generations.

 

[Into the lions den]

To raise good queens you need a few thing to be spot on
1: very good breeder queen

2 :Strong starter hives i use around 30 so after they have been used once they get a rest and new young bees can emerge in force consantly feed a rich diet as starting queens hammers the hell out of them and if needed add an extra 1 to 2 kilos of fresh bee part way throu the season

3: Don`t be afraid to cull any queen that does not look or proform if you tempted to start keeping sub standard queens reavaluate you breeder and starter hives.

We DO know what we are doing.

The problems in 2011 and 12 are nothing to do with genetics OR with raising malnourished scrubby queens.

They are all to do with having to wait up to 7 weeks for mating. I dont care how good you are at doing the raising, if you dont get the weather you are peeing against the wind.

FWIW, we have pretty well the same failure rate in those that have NEVER been moved on to full colonies. 140 verified queenright nucs established late May/early June.....only 80 ever got mated, mostly in July..........today only 65 remain for overwintering.............and a spot check last week revealed about 50% were or are superceding. Pretty well the same proportion as the young queens in the full hives, which are a mix of 'in hive' hatched and mated, and introduced from mating boxes (they are marked as such). We turf out all our mating boxes in late June and put them back into store till spring, as after that date the queens they produce are too late to be of value to us, and we do not currently sell them (voluntary EFB containment measures). Queen intro at the heather is not a viable task.

 

[REDWOOD]

I have a queen from Bickerstaffes, she is a buckfast cercropia queen, the only hive that did not go into swarm mode, she lays like there's no tomorrow, lays still in winter and builds up early in the spring, good honey crop, nice white cappings, gentle natured bees and no over use of propolis, can't say any more than that really.
Where did all our bees come from after the isle of white disease, no complaints then.

 

[mbc]

Where did all our bees come from after the isle of white disease, no complaints then.

The West Glamorgan Beekeepers association was set up prior(1878) to the IofW bee desease so it should be possible to have a dig in the archives and see for yourself that no one imported many bees to fill any imaginery gaps

 

[theengraver]

We DO know what we are doing.

Really sorry I should have realised.as your the biggest importer of Queens in the UK
(So begginers and people wanting to learn don`t read this)

 

[Into the lions den]

Really sorry I should have realised.as your the biggest importer of Queens in the UK
(So begginers and people wanting to learn don`t read this)

Who on earth gave you that idea? I do import as needed, but hey, nowhere even close to the numbers going to other places in the UK...........and in 2012zero.

We breed 1500 to 2000 every summer ourselves. Or at least try to.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

The West Glamorgan Beekeepers association was set up prior(1878) to the IofW bee desease so it should be possible to have a dig in the archives and see for yourself that no one imported many bees to fill any imaginery gaps

I'll ask if thereare any archives, although i doubt it - I believe our president was ten when it was founded! so you may be lucky

 

[REDWOOD]

i was to believe that the IOWD killed off most if not all the bees in the UK, the invasion of the mite started in the IOW and swept it's way through the UK. The mite blocked the breathing tubes of native British bees as the tubes are smaller than of our European counterparts. Bees where imported from Europe to replace the losses and brother Adam searched the world for different strains of bees that he could breed to create a bee that was resistant to the mite.
Correct me If i'm wrong but I have not read anything to challenge this but would be more than welcome to read it

 

[farbee]

Yes but you ignore the fact that local drones could be absolutely anything as there are so many aparies in the area so results will be unpredictable.

 

[masterBK]

i was to believe that the IOWD killed off most if not all the bees in the UK, the invasion of the mite started in the IOW and swept it's way through the UK. The mite blocked the breathing tubes of native British bees as the tubes are smaller than of our European counterparts. Bees where imported from Europe to replace the losses and brother Adam searched the world for different strains of bees that he could breed to create a bee that was resistant to the mite.
Correct me If i'm wrong but I have not read anything to challenge this but would be more than welcome to read it
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The accepted view these days resulting from the research of Dr L Bailey is that it wasn't the mite that was responsible for the huge losses associated with the "so called" IOW disease but the chronic paralysis virus. The mite merely shortens the life of a bee with no obvious signs other than that.

 

[Hivemaker.]

The accepted view these days resulting from the research of Dr L Bailey is that it wasn't the mite that was responsible for the huge losses associated with the "so called" IOW disease but the chronic paralysis virus. The mite merely shortens the life of a bee with no obvious signs other than that.

In which case the past use of folbex,peppermint,thymol,methyl salicylate, ect, were quite effective treatments for CBPV.

 

[johnandyrob]

Yes but you ignore the fact that local drones could be absolutely anything as there are so many aparies in the area so results will be unpredictable.

The two hives I did artificial swarms on and allowed to raise there own queens have gone from dark uniform size and colour to every size shape tint and hue.

 

[Poly Hive]

No doubt you did read that all the bees were killed off, but not everything one reads is true is it?

PH

 

[Scutellator]

I seem to remember reading some Australian research which pretty conclusively found queens left for a length of time (IIRC 3 weeks after mating - I'll see how my google foo is working and try and dig out a linky) had a much better chance of being accepted.

This probably has its root back from the studies of W. Figg ( from where Bro Adam got influence) on this subject.

I once came across a book from mid 30's and one of his studies showing constant increasing of the progesterone levels in the queens until the 5th week (for about 28 days) followed by a sudden drop.

 

[drex]

In which case the past use of folbex,peppermint,thymol,methyl salicylate, ect, were quite effective treatments for CBPV.

No, but in killing the vector, they cut transmission.

I think you are just being a bit tongue in cheek!