Queen Rearing Books

[Swift Nick]

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

 

[For want of a better word]

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

Jo Widdicombe... Bee Improvement.

Yeghes da

 

[mbc]

I second the David Woodward, super little book.

 

[For want of a better word]

AND Queen raising... The Jenkins Way

Originally a BIBBA publication , but available in reprint from Northern Bee Books and Amazon

Wassail!

 

[Swift Nick]

Thanks Both, I have just looked up the David Woodard book, it has good reviews and looks like it will have all the info I need. I think I will get a copy.

 

[For want of a better word]

Thanks Both, I have just looked up the David Woodard book, it has good reviews and looks like it will have all the info I need. I think I will get a copy.

Get two... one for the bees to read!!

Yeghes da

 

[madasafish]

Get two... one for the bees to read!!

Yeghes da

My Association's copy is on my desk. Bees definitely don't read parts of it..



Nicot queen rearing? Follow the instructions and read websites...was my experience last year (successful)

 

[fatshark]

I think the Woodward book is confusingly presented - if you know what you're doing it's OK ... but if you don't he provides too many options.

I'm currently reading Larry Conner's Queen rearing essentials and it's pretty straightforward.


PS but I know what I'm doing, so perhaps it's also confusing!

 

[Uncle Betty]

Thanks Both, I have just looked up the David Woodard book, it has good reviews and looks like it will have all the info I need. I think I will get a copy.

Be aware that the Jenter method is only two pages out of the whole book.

Half the book is about breeding (including genetics, breeding programmes, insemination) and not about rearing.

I wouldn't call it the best place to start.

The Norfolk Honey Company channel on YouTube has a series of videos from the past year, which I think are a better introduction to the subject.

Good luck.

 

[Beefriendly]

I'm currently reading Larry Conner's Queen rearing essentials and it's pretty straightforward.

You can buy several decent mated queens for the price of that tome.........Amazon has second hand ones from £98.....Kindle ed is £28...

But if it's good it will be worth every penny.
Although I do like the Woodward one, despite it's critics the Cloake Board does work.

 

[justsmith]

have you watched the video plenty of honey did ?

https://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=40941

 

[fatshark]

About £16 from Northern Bee Books ...

... and in response to the OP ... Ted Hooper isn't bad on the subject for the basics ... and there's no better way than learning by example from someone already competent.

PS I also like the Cloake board method.

 

[madasafish]

About £16 from Northern Bee Books ...

... and in response to the OP ... Ted Hooper isn't bad on the subject for the basics ... and there's no better way than learning by example from someone already competent.

PS I also like the Cloake board method.

I used Cloake Board exclusively last year. You need to stick to a timetable - and initially it's hardish work like three things to do on two consecutive days. Then it's just queen rearing by numbers (of days). The ONLY issue I found was I was using two jumbo brood boxes and lifting the top one was hernia time - 30-45kgs.

This year it's two 5 frame celotex jumbo nucs.. much lighter.

( I refer of course to Lang jumbos..)

 

[Beefriendly]

About £16 from Northern Bee Books ...

Thanks for that...it was looking like an expensive recommended read...even on me kindle.

 

[Swift Nick]

have you watched the video plenty of honey did ?

https://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=40941

Just watched it, a really good video, thanks.

 

[B+.]

Just watched it, a really good video, thanks.

"Contemporary queen rearing" covers it all

 

[mbc]

Contemporary queen rearing is a classic but not really easy to follow as an instruction manual.
If we're talking videos then plenty of honey credits Michael Palmer with a lot of his method
so probably a good idea to go to source and watch his presentation from the national honey show a few years ago https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7tinVIuBJ8

 

[B+.]

If we're talking videos then plenty of honey credits Michael Palmer with a lot of his method
so probably a good idea to go to source and watch his presentation from the national honey show a few years ago https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7tinVIuBJ8

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.

 

[jignog]

Queen Rearing Essentials by Lawrence John Connor and also Beekeeping At Buckfast Abbey by Brother Adam.
The first book provides all you need to know to be successful, whilst the second one gives a good overview of the techniques used by Brother Adam, the producer of prolific Buckfast bees.

 

[Beefriendly]

Queen Rearing Essentials by Lawrence John Connor and also Beekeeping At Buckfast Abbey by Brother Adam.
The first book provides all you need to know to be successful, whilst the second one gives a good overview of the techniques used by Brother Adam, the producer of prolific Buckfast bees.

Yes, the first book spends approx half it's pages describing a technique and then proceeds to tell you that they no longer use that technique. Make of that what you wish. I know I did!
But very interesting was the technique of moving very early developed (48 hour) queen cells around (page 68).