Cup of bees

[Beefriendly]

I have not noticed any difference between these and other queens

Well there you go, I'm sure your observations are right and science must be wrong.

 

[masterBK]

Sarcastic put downs yet again ?
Did you read my last line?
"However as I only rear about 50 queens a year such observations can't be considered statistically significant".
I don't rear enough queens to be able to control the many variables that influence queen performance to be able to challenge a proper scientific study but if there was other than a subtle difference I think I would have noticed it.

 

[Finman]

Of course there are. I use them myself (for instrumentally .

And how do you see it?

I use 3 frame mating nucs, when I rear queens. From number of brood fames?

But when I buy queens, they are mostly apidea queens. The variety of queen quality is so wide that how heck somebody can identify the difference of mating nucs. When I buy 3 queens, almost always one is very small queen, like emergency queen.

In real life I do not much trust on those therories when I buy queens. Guys may sell what ever.

.

 

[B+.]

And how do you see it?

I use 3 frame mating nucs, when I rear queens. From number of brood fames?

But when I buy queens, they are mostly apidea queens. The variety of queen quality is so wide that how heck somebody can identify the difference of mating nucs. When I buy 3 queens, almost always one is very small queen, like emergency queen.

In real life I do not much trust on those therories when I buy queens. Guys may sell what ever.

.

They're just a lot more work than full frame nucs. The workers will usually draw and fill the foundation before the queen is mated and starts laying. I like to see a nice sealed worker brood pattern before I move the queen on, so, I usually have to replace a few of the little combs so there is enough space. Of course, you can buy the expansion boxes for Apidea but I don't have any of those. I moved over to MiniPlus hives instead. They have a lot more space than Apidea. There are strengths and weaknesses with every system. You just need to adapt to what you have.
The queens I buy in from the islands will have mated in EWK (Ein Waben Kasten = one frame cage) so these are even smaller than Apideas. The queens perform very well.

 

[Finman]

.
I have made all mating nucs from normal polybox with table saw. Medium frame is a nuisance in that job.

To fill those nucs with bees needs the whole hive's bees, if I have 15 virgins.
500 virgins at same time is a different story, but it is not my job to worry about it.
.

But if the queen is in Apidea, it goes only 10 days when the queen needs a real nuc, where it can lay.
Then later it is easy to unite mating nuc frames into normal hive.

 

[Beefriendly]

Sarcastic put downs yet again ?
Did you read my last line?
"However as I only rear about 50 queens a year such observations can't be considered statistically significant".

Apologies, I thought you were being sarcastic saying only 50 queens a year....say 500 over the last 10. I'd consider that a goodly number to be statistically significant.

 

[Finman]

.
It seems to be a whole mating box science, about which I do not know anything.

. I think that mating box type does not add my honey yield. I let it be.

If the queen does not fill 2 langstroth boxes with brood, I change it. So simple.

Many queen stocks have bred so that they lay only one langstroth box. They are not my bees.

 

[Beefriendly]

.
It seems to be a whole mating box science, about which I do not know anything.

I'll post some references later to further your education
IIRC the number of drones/or different sperms has effects on queen pheromone levels. Multiple mated queens having higher levels etc. Might not affect your honey yields but affects the hive hierarchy. With modern beekeeping practise to change queens frequently it's unlikely to cause you to droop below your 100kg per hive. Unless you spend your spare time with a scrubber....

 

[Finman]

I'll post some references later to further your education
IIRC the number of drones/or different sperms has effects on queen pheromone levels. Multiple mated queens having higher levels etc. Might not affect your honey yields but affects the hive hierarchy. With modern beekeeping practise to change queens frequently it's unlikely to cause you to droop below your 100kg per hive. Unless you spend your spare time with a scrubber....

I have been able to find and read myself those researches.
Number of drones and sperm I have known as lng as it has been known.

The idea is that queens and drones do their tricks in air, and I have no possibility to know, what hapened.

Only thing is that I rear queens in the middle of summer, that they have good mating weathers.

" With modern beekeeping practices".... 100 kg per hive...... In what country? how many months or weeks is the yield seasons.... Do not keep me stupid.

There is no such like "modern beekeeping practices" .


" I spend my spare time".... I spend my spare time exactly as I like.

Hive hierarcy... Never heard...

.I know that good yields come from good pastures. Big hives' duty is to collect nectar from nature every day. That is my moder practice. If hives are not big enough, I put them together.

.

 

[Beefriendly]

.
It seems to be a whole mating box science, about which I do not know anything.

I am able to find and read myself those resesrches.
Number of drones and sperm I have known tens of years.

Of course.

 

[Finman]

.
I have reared queens 50 years. Results were not very good, because unselected Black Bees were everywhere up to year 1990. Then varroa killed all black bees.

It is now almost 30 years when wild AMM drones vanished.

Next finding was that in small yard danger of insemination appeared quite easily.

Even if I use to have 20 hives, I kept only 2-4 hives in each apiary.
Continuous buying new queens kept the genepool healthy. But the bought queens were not often very good. Material may come from villages swarm cells. Who knows what queen sellers put into post.

But this all makes beekeeping interesting.

But that I can say that Finnish beebreeding has became all the time better. 30 years ago I could not dream about bees what they are now.
.

 

[Beefriendly]

. Who knows what queen sellers put into post.

A very good point.....choose your queen suppliers with care..