"this" is a link to beesource.com . It's the method Michael described in the NHS talk and probably elsewhere. It's a production line with multiple dedicated cell builder hives and a tight schedule. He said he raises 1500 queens a year like that, so it works for him.And the up is??
I remember the slide at the NHS talk. On the strength of it I bought a pollen trap in the sales hall, which shows at least somebody was paying attention....Providing proper nutrition is more than feeding thin syrup, and relying on pollen flow, or feeding protein supplement. It's about providing an abundance of pollen right where the bees need it...next to the graft. And, there are pollen combs and pollen combs. You can hunt for pollen combs in production colonies...but you can make a better pollen comb than you can steal from your bees...
I remember the slide at the NHS talk. On the strength of it I bought a pollen trap in the sales hall, which shows at least somebody was paying attention.
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It is better to stand a little bit realism in the discussion. - Even if it has no succes in this forum.
700-hive owner and 2 hive owner are in discussion.
Palmers says :but BAs super strong cell builder, boosted with emerging brood 10 days before grafting, imitating a strong colony in swarming mode,
I do not know how many cells that colony produces during 2 weeks cycle? - 20, 40? or...then.. Who needs here 40 virgings in one summer, and he does not know to rear them?
What we need is a colony in swarm mode. It's natural idea is to make 15-20 queen cells.
My opinion is that a beginner or 10 hive owners does not need early queens, which are in danger to stay poorly mated for cold weathers.
Normal guy really has time to wait summer and natural swarming period when colonies want to rear more queens than anyboby wants.
One of Biggest problems in beekeeping is the queen cells production of hives and check out every week it. Then how cell rearing can be then a problem?
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So, rethink again what youi are really doing in beekeeping. Be flexiple to your self what ever you are doing there.
.To rear 50 queens in smarming hives is very easy. I have reared 40 years queens with professional methods, and I just ask myself, why I did it so,
I have 20-30 productive colonies and I change very queens every year.
I do not accept their own reared queens because they are from from selected colonies. And when I have young queens, it is rare that hives renew their queens.
Like Michael said: the Super strong cell builder-----it means to me 150 kg honey yield... 150 kg x 6 euros = about 1000 euros. ...Not free price queens...
Needles to say that a British beekeeper may do as they like. - yeah. Everyone adult on overseas do so. Why not the British!
Sorry, if I may ask. Beside the pollen, have You noticed the difference when feeding with honey or with sugar in queen quality? Or this showed no difference or irrelevant?
I do recall reading some research (which of course I can't find now) which showed bees regulate the amount of pollen foraging based on what they are receiving. If a proportion is trapped they increase the pollen foraging effort to compensate. That may reduce the nectar take and it assumes there are foragers to add to the workforce.I add mine at Dandelion bloom and leave through brambles. That's about a month. With 12 traps, I can trap all the pollen I need for growing a few thousand cells.
The colonies with pollen traps seem unaffected. I believe I've read not all the pollen is removed from the bees, and the colony sends out more pollen foragers.
Yes, freeze the pollen as soon as you harvest it.
mbc, I've used just about every cell building method...except the Cloake board. I feel that one to be too haphazard. I want more control.
I believe that when raising queen cells...queens...that quality must trump quantity. Always. I've raised decent cells with other methods, but BAs super strong cell builder, boosted with emerging brood 10 days before grafting, imitating a strong colony in swarming mode, consistently yields cells that are better provisioned with jelly than the queenless swarm box starter/queen-right finisher.
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Like Michael said: the Super strong cell builder-----it means to me 150 kg honey yield... 150 kg x 6 euros = about 1000 euros. ...Not free price queens...
Doubtless there is a cost in lost honey from a cell building colony, but it can go on to collect a good crop even after producing lots of queen cells ( again thanks for the photo Mike, I'm jealous !). avoiding that.
with a bit of judicial use of bees from colonies starting to boil over and possibly thinking of swarming the total apiary crop can be increased by avoiding that.
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