First 2017 Queen

[nantmoel]

The first queen I grafted this year has emerged, she was a result of a my first ever graft where only 2/10 were capped. She is the F1 daughter of a Keld Brandstrup Island mated queen. I had a little more success with my second grafting where 13/20 were capped.

 

[Stiffy]

The first queen I grafted this year has emerged, she was a result of a my first ever graft where only 2/10 were capped. She is the F1 daughter of a Keld Brandstrup Island mated queen. I had a little more success with my second grafting where 13/20 were capped.

Looks like a nice Buckie queen. I guess as she is marked and nice and plump she is mated?
S

 

[nantmoel]

Looks like a nice Buckie queen. I guess as she is marked and nice and plump she is mated?
S

Not mated, I alway mark them before I put them into mating nucs, I normally number mark them but I was a little too busy today.

 

[wightbees]

What is the mating% as i don't mark until mated.

 

[MartinL]

. . . . . . . . . . . I normally number mark them but I was a little too busy today.

The road to hell was paved with good intentions!

 

[B+.]

The road to hell was paved with good intentions!

I'm not sure what you mean by that.
I have marked virgin queens as soon as they emerge for years. Its the only way to now anything with certainty.
Let me give you an example: I was at one of my apiaries this evening and I noticed what appeared to be a cast. Since the queens at this apiary are a year old at most, I was intrigued. Upon closer inspection, I noticed one of my yellow marked queens. It was number 17 which emerged on 24/5/17.
If the queen hadn't been marked, I would't have known which nuc to put her back into. I put her at the entrance to her nuc and she ran in to the relief of the guards. This was at 8pm...so much for the idea that virgin queens only fly in the afternoon!

 

[Plenty of honey]

I'm not sure what you mean by that.
I have marked virgin queens as soon as they emerge for years. Its the only way to now anything with certainty.
Let me give you an example: I was at one of my apiaries this evening and I noticed what appeared to be a cast. Since the queens at this apiary are a year old at most, I was intrigued. Upon closer inspection, I noticed one of my yellow marked queens. It was number 17 which emerged on 24/5/17.
If the queen hadn't been marked, I would't have known which nuc to put her back into. I put her at the entrance to her nuc and she ran in to the relief of the guards. This was at 8pm...so much for the idea that virgin queens only fly in the afternoon!

I agree, I've been marking mine at virgin stage and never looked back. You can find them a lot easier in the mating nucs, or nucs and their so much easier to mark at virgin stage, the whole process of having to mark them after mating is then not necessary (which takes usually double the time). Another few minutes saved.

 

[B+.]

I agree, I've been marking mine at virgin stage and never looked back.

I also write the queens number on the nuc with chalk so I know which queen should be in which nuc.
The program I use for managing all my breeding records also prints out a breeding card which I pin to the side of the nuc. It has all the essential information like the number of the queens mother (2a), the date of the queens emergence, when she began laying, etc.

 

[Plenty of honey]

I also write the queens number on the nuc with chalk so I know which queen should be in which nuc.

The program I use for managing all my breeding records also prints out a breeding card which I pin to the side of the nuc. It has all the essential information like the number of the queens mother (2a), the date of the queens emergence, when she began laying, etc.

Good idea re chalk numbers! How often do you see the wrong queen in the wrong box?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[B+.]

Good idea re chalk numbers! How often do you see the wrong queen in the wrong box?

It depends on the pattern of the mating nucs and their distance apart. Last year I had them in a circle with alternate nucs facing in opposite directions. They still moved so I started sealing them in for a while (at least until evening).
I've read (in Contemporary Queen Rearing I think) that queens returning from mating flight to two-way nucs occasionally go to the wrong nuc. I wonder how often this really happens.
Sometimes the chalk washes off if it rains so be prepared to write it on different sides as a back-up.

 

[Noddy]

The program I use for managing all my breeding records also prints out a breeding card which I pin to the side of the nuc. I.

What program do you use please.

 

[B+.]

What program do you use please.

Its a German program called "Zucht Buch" (http://www.pexa.de/ - which translates to "breed book" or stockbook in English). I also have "Flugel Index" which is for morphometry and is in English).
I'm quite impressed with the facilities. It does just about everything I want it to do

 

[mbc]

I've always viewed marking virgins as painting a target on them for the swallows martins and swifts, I recon to lose enough of them as it is. Different if you ii I spose.

 

[B+.]

I've always viewed marking virgins as painting a target on them for the swallows martins and swifts, I recon to lose enough of them as it is. Different if you ii I spose.

The reason I mark my queens is to ensure that I can track them with certainty throughout their life.
I do the same for both open mated and instrumentally inseminated queens. Not because they're inseminated but because I want the control of knowing which queen it is.

 

[REDWOOD]

I seem to have got in the habit of marking virgins this year, makes more sense in my eyes