Update from the wonderful Dr Samuel Ramsay

[Beegarden]

https://www.beekeepingtodaypodcast.com/dr-sammy-ramsey/

I haven't seen this mentioned yet, although it was aired in November last year. A member of our BKA group brought it to our attention this week and has already written to his MP. In this podcast, Dr Ramsay explains all that he is doing to extend his work on Varroa (he's a very busy man) but also, sadly, reveals that he has had pictures and videos of the dreaded Tropilaelaps in Southern Russia. He is keen to verify this, but obviously now is not the time to go out there. What worries him is the fact that this area borders on Ukraine which is known to export bees to Canada. .... and so it goes on, Yellow-legged Hornet and now Tropi mite.

 

[Michael Palmer]

So the good Dr Sammy is saying Tropilaelaps might be in Ukraine. I wouldn't doubt him. It seems that Tropi mites are following the same path west that was followed by varroa. And Canada is still importing stock from Ukraine. Lovely. And from Chile...so the US border has now closed to importation of queen bees from Canada. And the Canadians will import package bees from New Zealand and Australia before they will from the States. Again, insane.
So, where am I going with this? Once again I have to reinforce my believe...importing bee stocks from outside the British Isles is insane. You have all the bee stocks you need to carry on queen breeding programs. I don't think it matters what stocks you favor. You already have what you need.
And why are these importations continuing? It's cheaper to import stock than it is to run a breeding program? Because it's eezsy peezy...plop down your credit card and you get what you want? Someone is making money with these imports?
I hear continuously, here and where you are, we can't have queens early enough in the season. Haven't I shown the way using nucleus colonies, which are really overwintering queens? Didn't brother Adam say the same thing?
I'd like to hear both sides of the story.

 

[madasafish]

I am just an amateur queen rearer mainly 15-25 Qs every year for my own uses and a few for resale. I currently have 9 full colonies and 6 nucs ( for resale). I overwinter Qs in double mini nucs with additional insulation.

QR starts mid end May as no drones before then. Basically stops end July due to wasps and weather which is highly unpredictable due to situation on western edge of Peak District sandwiched between Wales/Cheshire and Derbyshire.

Last year it started to rain heavily mid June and basically continued until late August. I raise Qs in mini nucs as I never have enough bees for nucs - nor enough nucs. I raise in batches of 10 - and expect 25% to fail to survive mating. After July, wasps kill most mini nucs except for the strongest (and weak nucs/full hives as well). Wasp trapping is pointless as acres of woodland and hedges.

So last year I manged to get 11 fully mated queens.. rather than my normal 20 plus.

Good thing I enjoy doing it: years like that are like having a cold shower in freezing water.

(My honey yields were 90% of prior years , despite being double last year's by end June but July was 10% of prior years')
Fairly typical of our local weather..

 

[Curly green finger's]

So the good Dr Sammy is saying Tropilaelaps might be in Ukraine. I wouldn't doubt him. It seems that Tropi mites are following the same path west that was followed by varroa. And Canada is still importing stock from Ukraine. Lovely. And from Chile...so the US border has now closed to importation of queen bees from Canada. And the Canadians will import package bees from New Zealand and Australia before they will from the States. Again, insane.
So, where am I going with this? Once again I have to reinforce my believe...importing bee stocks from outside the British Isles is insane. You have all the bee stocks you need to carry on queen breeding programs. I don't think it matters what stocks you favor. You already have what you need.
And why are these importations continuing? It's cheaper to import stock than it is to run a breeding program? Because it's eezsy peezy...plop down your credit card and you get what you want? Someone is making money with these imports?
I hear continuously, here and where you are, we can't have queens early enough in the season. Haven't I shown the way using nucleus colonies, which are really overwintering queens? Didn't brother Adam say the same thing?
I'd like to hear both sides of the story.

You have something there Michael, I could safely start queen rearing in mid April over winter in mini nucs on a bigger scale I’m sure some bfs winter multiple mini nucs already ?

 

[Wilco]

So the good Dr Sammy is saying Tropilaelaps might be in Ukraine. I wouldn't doubt him. It seems that Tropi mites are following the same path west that was followed by varroa. And Canada is still importing stock from Ukraine. Lovely. And from Chile...so the US border has now closed to importation of queen bees from Canada. And the Canadians will import package bees from New Zealand and Australia before they will from the States. Again, insane.
So, where am I going with this? Once again I have to reinforce my believe...importing bee stocks from outside the British Isles is insane. You have all the bee stocks you need to carry on queen breeding programs. I don't think it matters what stocks you favor. You already have what you need.
And why are these importations continuing? It's cheaper to import stock than it is to run a breeding program? Because it's eezsy peezy...plop down your credit card and you get what you want? Someone is making money with these imports?
I hear continuously, here and where you are, we can't have queens early enough in the season. Haven't I shown the way using nucleus colonies, which are really overwintering queens? Didn't brother Adam say the same thing?
I'd like to hear both sides of the story.

Agreed and have been thinking this for a few years. Mini nucs and full on nucs can easily be overwintered. Merge two overwintered nucs and you suddenly have a large colony for early flows and an overwintered queen to sell really early in the season. Cannot understand why no one's doing it on a large scale here. I'll likely be doing it to sell as soon as I'm happy I can breed consistently good queens.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Merge two overwintered nucs and you suddenly have a large colony for early flows

And even if you’re not breeding yourself you can buy a decent home bred queen in the summer to head your overwintering nuc

 

[Mint Bee]

And why are these importations continuing? It's cheaper to import stock than it is to run a breeding program? Because it's eezsy peezy...plop down your credit card and you get what you want? Someone is making money with these imports?

Ironically Michael instant gratification and using the means to obtaining it are one of the UK societies attitudes imported from exposure to US culture IMO

 

[Wilco]

Ironically Michael instant gratification and using the means to obtaining it are one of the UK societies attitudes imported from exposure to US culture IMO

Certain parts of the USA.

Amazon Prime is more consistently fast here than it is for a friend out in Minnesota.