Queen rearing

[BKF Admin]

Do you raise your own queens? what method do you use?

I have a nicot queen rearing kit that I plan to use next year and just need to read up on what to do and when.

I also had a birthday gift in August of a Thornes Apidea mating hive.

So it looks like I have some reading to do.

I did buy a copies of Queen Rearing Simplified by Vince Cook and The introduction of Queen bee's by Snelgrove.

Any tips gratefully received..

 

[Finman]

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FOR MY SMALL NEED 20-30 queens per year. I raise about 40-50 queen for selection

I changed my system because succes rate was only 50%.

* I use to bye every year from professional beekeeper 3 queen which I use as mother queen. (first generation)

* I start rearing when first hive want to sawrm

* I change larvae in swarm cells. Queens will be very fat.

* When queens are near emerging, I take a frame of bees and a queen cell and I transfer nucs to he mating yard 2 miles away.

* I use same bees what have raised he queens. So no losses in introducing.
You may take over 10 nucs from same hive and then strengten the nuc with emerging bees from another hives.

* Mating nucs are solitary, 3-frame, normal frame, splitted from Lanstroth poly hive. They are warm and brood are will be good.

* I keep several week queens in nuc that I see, how queen lays, how resistant brood area is against diseases. I often later, how mean new bees are.

* To keep laying queen in the nuc over 2 weeks, the final hive accept the queen fine. (Australian research).

**********

I have used this system 3 years and compared to earlier 35 years, results are pefect.

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[Finman]

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Faults in rearing

Handling queen cells --> violations in queen pupae, abnormal legs, abdomen, wings

Keeping in the cage after emerging = lack of proper feeding. Many dead in cages or died in the cell.

Mating nucs in connection to each other = queens piip calling to fight and kill each others

Make a rearing hive artifically = willing to raise queens is not allways good.
A big job compared with using of swarming hive.

To give new queens to foreign nurser bees = losses

Take too soon queen from mating hive to final hive = introducing losses

Many nuc box = actually it is cold compared with 3-frame polynuc

Not normal mating nuc combs = not flexiple. In normal combs all are usefull: cells, brood, ..add bees, food - take honey or extra brood away

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[Finman]

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AUSTRALIAN COMMERCIAL QUEEN REARING page 54

http://www.rirdc.gov.au/reports/HBE/03-037.pdf

LOOK Introduction Success Age of queens when caught In days
% of queens alive 14 days after introduction

 

[Polyanwood]

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* To keep laying queen in the nuc over 2 weeks, the final hive accept the queen fine. (Australian research).


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Does that mean if when I buy my new queens I keep them in a nuke for 2 weeks before introduing them, then they are less likely to get balled?

 

[Hivemaker.]

A young queen just mated and starting to lay is more likely to be rejected,or superceded, than a queen that has been laying for a few weeks.

 

[BKF Admin]

Do you think she has a higher level of queen pheromone after a few weeks laying?

 

[Finman]

Do you think she has a higher level of queen pheromone after a few weeks laying?

The difference is own reared queen and introduced. How do bees separate them?
Where they get idea to kick a foreign lady to abdomen?

 

[Finman]

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After Australian information I have noticed that 3 weeks layed queen is very safe to introduce to new hive. You just give it.

When you give a new queen it is safe if you let hive first cap its own queen cells. After capping it accepts easily introduced queen.

You may give just emerged queen to the queenless hive, they accept is but soon virgin has disapeared. It is not finally good idea. Same happens often if you give a queen cell.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Yes a very bad move,and in a hive with a clipped queen,after they have swarmed and she is gone,(never trust a virgin) they will most likely all go,as the bee's still have the swarming impulse.

 

[BKF Admin]

Good replies,thanks lads.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Its not over yet. more to come.

 

[beebreeder]

Admin
Just read this thread, what were your results, I use the nicot system and it can generate lots of queens and lots of mating nucs and bees and time is needed as by now you no doubt know, this thread is interesting and suprised it has not been followed up this year.
kev

 

[jezd]

an old timer has gifted me what I think are 4-5 home made mating boxes, tiny things, I may post pics to get comments

 

[Poly Hive]

The biggest problem is getting cells started.

How do you achieve it? I mean here grafts and not natural swarming cells.

PH

 

[bensbees]

what i can see here in ozs with my queen nuks. let here lay for 21 to 30 days you will have a good queen then.