Queen improvement for an idiot

[B+.]

Is it worth trying to use what I have to improve, or do I need to import some genetics into the apiary (I don't mean from abroad, rather from outside of the apiary).

Are they particularly special in any trait?
IF you had a particularly special queen and the means to control mate them, with drones from other good stock, it might be worth trying otherwise, you're wasting your time

 

[TooBee...]

...If you expect your bees to swarm every year (Eire) or light a candle if they survive the winter and don't eat you out of house and home then the bees are doing well.

Ah, you know our native bees do you, ... even though I've been led to believe by very experienced and knowledgeable members on this forum that yearly swarming from each hive is not necessarily guaranteed ... I can't quite believe them as everyone (that I've met) over here says that is the case! Wait and or should that be breed and see

 

[For want of a better word]

Ah, you know our native bees do you, ... even though I've been led to believe by very experienced and knowledgeable members on this forum that yearly swarming from each hive is not necessarily guaranteed ... I can't quite believe them as everyone (that I've met) over here says that is the case! Wait and or should that be breed and see

Our Natives have a tendency towards superceedure.... perhaps the Eire native type described still have the swarmy trait, bred for by the old day skeppists who relied on swarming for increase.

( Now we have II and can be a bit selective in our queen improvement!)

 

[Poly Hive]

When I ran Amm, or alleged Amm, roughly 60% superseeded and the others offered to swarm or not. Esp the queens raised the previous season didn't offer to swarm.

I have been pondering the supersedure trait as it can be a double edged sword and the down side is if you have poor mating weather on the heather then you can, and I did, have bad winter losses due to queens failing.

At least with swarming, you have a degree of control. with supersedure you know nothing about it until clip and marking the next Spring.

Food for thought?

PH

 

[Finman]

Our Natives have a tendency towards superceedure.... perhaps the Eire native type described still have the swarmy trait, bred for by the old day skeppists who relied on swarming for increase.

( Now we have II and can be a bit selective in our queen improvement!)

How swarming and supercedure are alternatives?

Swarming's purpose is reproduction and supercedure's purpose is to renew the Queen.

Swarming is bees' only way to reproduce. Non swarming is result from human selection, and it is difficult to keep on.

If colony is weak, it is less willing to swarm. But later genes will work.

 

[Finman]

.
I use 1 year old queens and then renew. My hives have very few supercedure cases along years.

 

[For want of a better word]

How swarming and supercedure are alternatives?

Swarming's purpose is reproduction and supercedure's purpose is to renew the Queen.

Swarming is bees' only way to reproduce. Non swarming is result from human selection, and it is difficult to keep on.

If colony is weak, it is less willing to swarm. But later genes will work.

How swarming and supercedure are alternatives?
You should know that they are not!

However the catch and release system some say is the way that UK 2 hive owners operate depends upon bees swarming.... requeening every year is another doubtful method of sustainability.... but probably works if the beekeeper does not loose all the colony?
Neither has much to do with bee improvement or does it?

Cheers

 

[Finman]

requeening every year is another doubtful method of sustainability....

Cheers

What heck sustainability?

 

[Hivemaker.]

What heck sustainability?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainability

 

[Finman]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainability

Jeee, I can read...

What does it have to do with requeening or even with beekeeping?

Is it necessary to mix those fancy words into everything.

 

[For want of a better word]

Jeee, I can read...

What does it have to do with requeening or even with beekeeping?

Sustainability is the process of maintaining change in a balanced environment, in which the exploitation of resources, the direction of investments, the orientation of technological development and institutional change are all in harmony and enhance both current and future potential to meet human needs and aspirations.[1] For many in the field, sustainability is defined through the following interconnected domains or pillars: environment, economic and social, which according to Fritjof Capra[2] is based on the principles of Systems Thinking.

Sustainable beekeeping and queen improvement... we even have conferences about it...

Try to keep up my little snow pixie!

 

[Finman]

Sustainability is the process of maintaining change in a balanced environment.........
!

Balanced environment? Bees get best yields from areas where forest is totally cutted off.

Maintaining change in balanced environment?

All what I know is that 1-year old queen makes bigger colonies than 2-year old , and a big gang brings bigger yields.

 

[Hivemaker.]

All what I know is that 1-year old queen makes bigger colonies than 2-year old

You don't know that, as you only keep them one year.

.
I use 1 year old queens and then renew.

 

[Beefriendly]

Maybe he does......and that is why he now renews after 1 year?

 

[Hivemaker.]

Maybe he does......and that is why he now renews after 1 year?

He would need a crystal ball to know that.

 

[For want of a better word]

Maybe he does......and that is why he now renews after 1 year?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbXJunKCq60

 

[Beefriendly]

He would need a crystal ball to know that.

Maybe he has one of those as well
Or perhaps he bases what he does now on his past experiences?

 

[Beefriendly]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbXJunKCq60

Sorry Hoppy, never go to U-tube links.
You will need to explain in your own words.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Or perhaps he bases what he does now on his past experiences?

Maybe, maybe it is caused by the oxalic acid he pours over them.

 

[Finman]

You don't know that, as you only keep them one year.

40 years ago I kept the queens older. Then I noticed that last year's best queen is only average next year in laying.

And it is written in beekeeping books too. Nothing secret that one year old queen is better than two years old.

So diffcult that beekeeping.