Queen Rearing Books

[Millet]

Michael Palmers presentation is very thorough. Richard has some other videos on his site of his visit to Michaels apiaries which are worth watching too
You can see the origin of all these methods in Contemporary queen rearing. That's why I recommend it.

Michael and Richard explain brilliant in detail what they do, why don't you make a video the same or explain in detail what you do..

 

[B+.]

Michael and Richard explain brilliant in detail what they do, why don't you make a video the same or explain in detail what you do..

Do you mean the testing?
Most of it is sumarised in the two iwf videos on my Youtube channel .
I suppose I could do an update if there was any interest (most of it is covered on the Coloss website too)

 

[madasafish]

David Woodard... Queen Bee : Biology; Rearing and Breeding

Jo Widdicombe... Bee Improvement.

Yeghes da

I have just read Jo Widdicombe's book.

Part 1 (22 pages) of telling the reader imported bees are useless, local bees are better. Absolutely NO supporting evidence.


The selection guides were better but given it only ran to 80 pages including Appendices and 22 pages were waffle I thought it was poor. No use whatsoever to anyone starting out.

 

[B+.]

I have just read Jo Widdicombe's book.

Part 1 (22 pages) of telling the reader imported bees are useless, local bees are better. Absolutely NO supporting evidence.


The selection guides were better but given it only ran to 80 pages including Appendices and 22 pages were waffle I thought it was poor. No use whatsoever to anyone starting out.

Well, my local bees certainly aren't better. In fact my experience is that imported bees (from a good source) are far better
I haven't read his book, but, I was once a member of BIBBA and can say with certainty that what they know about bee improvement could be written on the back of a postage stamp (in large letters).

 

[For want of a better word]

I am interested in reading & learning about queen rearing, at this point just on a basic level, not so much a book on genetics, but how the process works. Can anyone recommend a book that explains the whole process, I am specifically interested in the Nicot type equipment, but for now just a good book to explain the principles is what I need.
Thanks Nick

Pointless excercise
When you can get a mated queen in the post from Denmark that will give you 56kg honey per colony per season, year on year.

Any interest in breeding bees in the UK is purely for the academics and those wishing to retain genetic diversity.

My bees are basically local orchard pollinators as I need at least 50 gallons of cider to keep functioning!

 

[B+.]

Any interest in breeding bees in the UK is purely for the academics and those wishing to retain genetic diversity.

Thats nonsense......I'm hardly an academic!

 

[madasafish]

Pointless excercise


Any interest in breeding bees in the UK is purely for the academics and those wishing to retain genetic diversity.

I am a simple amateur. Not a professional beekeeper.. but queen rearing - if you have the time and the persistence and the ability to think about what you are doing - is immensely satisfying, fun and saves you loads of money as you can requeen all your colonies annually from your best stock, sell/give away queens and after a small investment have queens left over for emergencies.

Of course if money is no object and/or you are time poor and money rich.. then buy any queen you like.

 

[madasafish]

Well, my local bees certainly aren't better. In fact my experience is that imported bees (from a good source) are far better
I haven't read his book, but, I was once a member of BIBBA and can say with certainty that what they know about bee improvement could be written on the back of a postage stamp (in large letters).

BIBBA have been in existence for over 50 years and if you ask them to supply you 1 (let alone 20) mated AMM queens at any time, they just fold over in laughter. Which tells you all you need to know about their effectiveness.Any organisation determined to promulgate native bees would be giving away mated queens for free (or a nominal charge) to anyone who wanted them.

The fact is,BIBBA make the BBKA appear competent.

 

[B+.]

BIBBA have been in existence for over 50 years and if you ask them to supply you 1 (let alone 20) mated AMM queens at any time, they just fold over in laughter. Which tells you all you need to know about their effectiveness.Any organisation determined to promulgate native bees would be giving away mated queens for free (or a nominal charge) to anyone who wanted them.

The fact is,BIBBA make the BBKA appear competent.

I couldn't agree more....not that this is a recommendation. It's more of a condemnation of them both

 

[Poly Hive]

BIBBA have been in existence for over 50 years and if you ask them to supply you 1 (let alone 20) mated AMM queens at any time, they just fold over in laughter. Which tells you all you need to know about their effectiveness.Any organisation determined to promulgate native bees would be giving away mated queens for free (or a nominal charge) to anyone who wanted them.

The fact is,BIBBA make the BBKA appear competent.

That about sums it up and I think Cheers set a new record for utter p**h.

PH

 

[Millet]

Over the past few years my bees have produced numerous Queen cells which i have let them keep and raise to produce more colonies, out of all my attempts to get open mated Queens have failed and i have ended up with two laying worker colonies which apparently is rare, apart from my last donated frame of eggs from a good forum member last year which produced a cracking calm Queen that did manage to get mated.
I believe my failure rate is down to the swallow population around my hive location,there is literally hundreds of them after they have started nesting in all the farm buildings.
My plan for this year is to move the hives/nucs with any queen cells to a different location to better my chances of making increase, because other than doing that i have to rely on buying mated Queens.

 

[drex]

I am a simple amateur. Not a professional beekeeper.. but queen rearing - if you have the time and the persistence and the ability to think about what you are doing - is immensely satisfying, fun and saves you loads of money as you can requeen all your colonies annually from your best stock, sell/give away queens and after a small investment have queens left over for emergencies.

Of course if money is no object and/or you are time poor and money rich.. then buy any queen you like.

I totally agree. If I was into beekeeping purely for the amount of honey I harvest, I know I would be better off buying in queens. Like madasafish I get a lot out of raising my own queens, and also have learned a lot about beekeeping in general. I select from my best and cull ruthlessly. One of my main selection criteria is temperament, and over the years this has certainly improved in my stock. Harvest has also improved, but that might be due to me having learned better management.

 

[B+.]

Like madasafish I get a lot out of raising my own queens, and also have learned a lot about beekeeping in general. I select from my best and cull ruthlessly. One of my main selection criteria is temperament, and over the years this has certainly improved in my stock. Harvest has also improved, but that might be due to me having learned better management.

Do you know what bees your neighbours keep?
Some of the improvements you talk about may be a result of the influence of their drones and not, necessarily (or only), your efforts of maternal selection.
I'm not saying that your efforts are unsuccessful, just, that the success you observe may not be solely due to what you are doing.

 

[For want of a better word]

Over the past few years my bees have produced numerous Queen cells which i have let them keep and raise to produce more colonies, out of all my attempts to get open mated Queens have failed and i have ended up with two laying worker colonies which apparently is rare, apart from my last donated frame of eggs from a good forum member last year which produced a cracking calm Queen that did manage to get mated.
I believe my failure rate is down to the swallow population around my hive location,there is literally hundreds of them after they have started nesting in all the farm buildings.
My plan for this year is to move the hives/nucs with any queen cells to a different location to better my chances of making increase, because other than doing that i have to rely on buying mated Queens.

Similar problem to your swallows but with wasps!

Mating nucs were being decimated... even strong nus were under attack!

Moved three drone supply colonies to a very isolated area about twenty miles away from the original mating site ( across the Tamar and into Devon) my daughter goes horse riding there and I had not seen any wasps around.

Grafted queens ( NZ Italian) were mated at the new site... with no wasp ( or swallows)... apparently with the supply drones from the colonies there.. later I discovered another beefarmer with 100 colonies in the area.. produced some nice queens tho!

Millet... you may have to do the same.. a swallow free zone!

Yeghes da

 

[Millet]

Similar problem to your swallows but with wasps!

Mating nucs were being decimated... even strong nus were under attack!

Moved three drone supply colonies to a very isolated area about twenty miles away from the original mating site ( across the Tamar and into Devon) my daughter goes horse riding there and I had not seen any wasps around.

Grafted queens ( NZ Italian) were mated at the new site... with no wasp ( or swallows)... apparently with the supply drones from the colonies there.. later I discovered another beefarmer with 100 colonies in the area.. produced some nice queens tho!

Millet... you may have to do the same.. a swallow free zone!

Yeghes da

I'm not moving my Vigin queens all the way to Cornwall to get mated, it would not be cost effective..

 

[Poly Hive]

Surely there are plenty of isolated sites in Northmberland?

I had a useful lesson one year when I moved drone colonies to the moors in mid June for the virgins and to be on the safe side gave them 3 supers each on to the three drone colonies.

Two weeks later after my hitch offshore, so some 16 days I suppose give or take the 9 supers were chock full of "A honey" no idea precisely what it came from but on wondering over some of the moor it was clear there were lots of little flowers blooming at the roots of the heather.

Some years later on another heather site, I repeated the exercise and again got a nice unexpected crop so dinna discount the moors in June for mating sites.

PH

 

[Millet]

Surely there are plenty of isolated sites in Northmberland?

I had a useful lesson one year when I moved drone colonies to the moors in mid June for the virgins and to be on the safe side gave them 3 supers each on to the three drone colonies.

Two weeks later after my hitch offshore, so some 16 days I suppose give or take the 9 supers were chock full of "A honey" no idea precisely what it came from but on wondering over some of the moor it was clear there were lots of little flowers blooming at the roots of the heather.

Some years later on another heather site, I repeated the exercise and again got a nice unexpected crop so dinna discount the moors in June for mating sites.

PH

I might get away with it if i move the nucs with Queen cells 300yrds away from the farm buildings where the swallows frequent, i could also have a word with the keeper to move them even further if need be, i definitely need to try something else because i am wasting my time in this location, if it was not such a good spot for the bees i would move them all permanently.

 

[mbc]

Well, my local bees certainly aren't better. In fact my experience is that imported bees (from a good source) are far better
I haven't read his book, but, I was once a member of BIBBA and can say with certainty that what they know about bee improvement could be written on the back of a postage stamp (in large letters).

BIBBA have been in existence for over 50 years and if you ask them to supply you 1 (let alone 20) mated AMM queens at any time, they just fold over in laughter. Which tells you all you need to know about their effectiveness.Any organisation determined to promulgate native bees would be giving away mated queens for free (or a nominal charge) to anyone who wanted them.

The fact is,BIBBA make the BBKA appear competent.

If bibba's stated aims were to provide queens to all and sundry upon request you'd both be right, but you're criticising them for failing to do what they've not set out to do, a bit unfair but I suppose as keyboard warriors of such clout you should have the greatest say in an amateur organisation you don't belong to

 

[madasafish]

If bibba's stated aims were to provide queens to all and sundry upon request you'd both be right, but you're criticising them for failing to do what they've not set out to do, a bit unfair but I suppose as keyboard warriors of such clout you should have the greatest say in an amateur organisation you don't belong to

The aims of BIBBA as stated on their website are " objectives of BIBBA to improve and propagate the native and near native honey bees"


If you are suggesting they are not what they say then I shall be amazed or they have succeded in 50 years to "propagate the native bee" then I will apologise when you prove they have.

If you are suggestinbg that only members of BIBBA can criticise them, then I am sorry to disappoint you.Freedom of speech means if you claim to aim to do something and then fail, all and sundry are free to criticise .(See Oxfam)

 

[Poly Hive]

Millet?

Are your hives/mating units distinctively marked?

The apiary at Craibstone was close to farm buildings and there were lots of swallows and house martins. No issues with matings there.

Here there are again lots of swollows and house martins and although I rased only a couple of queens last year no issues I could see so I have to wonder if it's not something else.

As for BIBBA... sorry, but pretty much a non event.

PH