Queen problem?

[Heather]

Has anyone else found that their queen isn't lasting a year - at one time the queen would at least go one season and more - but now she is
1) Not successfully mating
2) Being superseded
3)Disappearing
4) Just poor

This is as big a problem to me as anything else they throw at me.
This is where research is needed !! Not investigating the waggle dance-at great expense!- Have to say Roger Patterson has been proclaiming this for a long time- well I think we should listen

May I ask the 'long time' bee keepers- has there been a great change in queen longevity- if so, why do you think it is happening??
Is it all down to pesticides etc????

 

[Black Comb]

None of mine have lasted a year - I put this down to inexperience and being a crap beekeeper. They just seem to build up for a few weeks and make s/c cells.

Others locally have said the same (mind you, they are all 2nd or 3rd year beeks like me - the experienced ones don't say much !!!)

The 2 queens from when I started last year (2009 queens) didn't last past the end of May.

 

[SER]

I had two queens from swarms supersede shortly after hiving which I think is to be expected, they both laid well for a short period and then were superseded again.

I obviously can't be 100% sure but I don't think it's likely both cases were down to my poor handling.

Si.

 

[Erichalfbee]

My 2009 nuc queen was superseded and the virgin the colony made having hatched hopefully on the 5th is waiting to mate and after the introduction of a hosepipe ban up here we have rain forecast for the next week.........sigh

 

[Poly Hive]

In a word Heather. No.

I have been watching possibly a bit more carefully than in the past as I am operating in "alien" territory to me. Different climate and different length of season and so on and I can but say as I find which is no odds at all.

None of the big boys are commenting that they are having issues with queens that I am hearing about.

Not sure that there is an issue?

PH

 

[oliver90owner]

Lots of possible reasons. larger colonies might be one. Double brood means twice as many eggs to maintain the colony numbers, which equates to half the 'normal usefulness period' of the queen. Enough to explain it?

Also, more pesticides interfering with reproduction?; Queens are bred this way? - nice and docile, prolific egg machines, but longevity is not an important trait. Perhaps because most commercial beefarmers replace queens each year anyway.

Perhaps the way they are produced - mini-apidae - makes a difference?

None of mine superceded last year; one queen was down for supercedure (a previously swarmed queen) but she continued to lay when the colony was split after they decided to go the direct route (built swarm cells after I removed the supercedure cell); I wanted her for breeding my next generation because she was docile, hygenic (low varroa drops all year) and prolific.

None superceded this year, yet, either.

One colony went queenless last autumn and was a loss.

Apart from that, not too bad. But I have never yet bought in queens. Local mongrels may not be the highest yielders but there may be other benefits......

Regards, RAB

 

[BKF Admin]

Heather,are these overwintered queens that had an Oxalic acid treatment ?

 

[Heather]

Not always, one of my treated queens is excellent- Others swarmed and the new queens failing or poor- I am having to use apidea queens to supplement. No excuse for bad weather in poor matings either.

 

[Poly Hive]

Interesting.

Not that that is much help really.

PH

 

[Bcrazy]

Well so far all my new (this years queens) are still doing well and laying extremal well with plenty of brood at all stages. I will be keeping an eye out for superseedure but so far nothing untoward. will keep u all informed if
anything changes.

Mo

 

[BKF Admin]

What is Rogers latest hypothesis on queen problems ?
Is it imported queens ?

 

[Freer4]

Has anyone else found that their queen isn't lasting a year - at one time the queen would at least go one season and more - but now she is
1) Not successfully mating
2) Being superseded
3)Disappearing
4) Just poor

This is as big a problem to me as anything else they throw at me.
This is where research is needed !! Not investigating the waggle dance-at great expense!- Have to say Roger Patterson has been proclaiming this for a long time- well I think we should listen

May I ask the 'long time' bee keepers- has there been a great change in queen longevity- if so, why do you think it is happening??
Is it all down to pesticides etc????

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[beebreeder]

Queen longevity is a thing talked about a lot amongst beekeepers, the weather has a big effect, last summer was lousy for queen mating, if she starts laying and is not fully mated but has been clipped then as her spermatheca runs out she will normally be superceded, queen life has a lot to do with drone quality and quantity, and as we are all told as part of IPM to cull drones the result is obvious. Control varroa and rear drones that will help. Next season will be interesting as we are having great mating weather and my apiaries are heaving with drones. Rant over ,and Oxalic acid, well thats worth another thread.
kev

 

[plumberman]

Queen longevity is a thing talked about a lot amongst beekeepers, the weather has a big effect, last summer was lousy for queen mating, if she starts laying and is not fully mated but has been clipped then as her spermatheca runs out she will normally be superceded, queen life has a lot to do with drone quality and quantity, and as we are all told as part of IPM to cull drones the result is obvious. Control varroa and rear drones that will help. Next season will be interesting as we are having great mating weather and my apiaries are heaving with drones. Rant over ,and Oxalic acid, well thats worth another thread.
kev

On the presumption that you would only clip a queen once she had started to lay, are you saying that clipping beyond that time is more likely to mean that she is superceded?

 

[BKF Admin]

I think some beekeepers say clipping full stop will cause an early supercedure due HM being off balance.

 

[Poly Hive]

Well to be honest I think that is just nonsense.

However things being nonsense have never stopped them being believed nor will most likely.

I have had sups run over winter myself, the "old codger" disappearing in Spring as the activity level increased.

The biggest issue facing queens is mating weather.

I mentioned that more than once to a certain person and got poohed poohed... but there is no fame or mileage in a simple answer.

You can mutter that I blame the weather for a great deal and in fact I do and that is because bees are very weather sensitive. More so than many seem to realise working away in their little offices.

PH

 

[essex paul]

there could be to much drone removal in your area.some think its the answer to all there varoa problems but they are there for a reason

 

[BKF Admin]

I know that RP was breeding AMM,going on the theory that queens will always try to mate with there own type first,could that be a reason he is seeing failing queens,due to only partial mating because of the lack of AMM drones and early supercedure ?

Is his evidence based on his own experience or what others are telling him ?
Is AMM even suitable for the south coat ?

 

[oliver90owner]

Don't get carried away with all this drone stuff. WE put in the short frames to induce the extra drone brood. Far more than there would be in most colonies. Getting rid of some of it (the induced drone brood) should not make too much difference to the gene pool. Better the mites are gone than ruining the colony.

Agreed we may need ten times more drone brood because of the varroa inflicted damage to them but that is another matter.

I do not go around the frames digging out every last drone pupa; there are a normal amount in my colonies. Just that on occasions she lays a complete block of drone brood; not going to count how many, but a lot!

Moderation is the name of the game. There are always those who advocate the extremes.

Regards, RAB

 

[Heather]

I always put in a short frame in every brood box too- so loads of drone here- and the weather been great - but still have poor matings evident within the Assoc bee colonies.