Author Topic: Queen rearing (Read 5435 times)

Moleskins · « **on:** June 10, 2012, 11:09:47 pm »

Well I'm trying Queen rearing again, had mixed success at it in the past and this year I need a few new Queens so the chosen egg layer is in the Jenter case, hopefully she'll lay eggs by the morning. Then I've got a really strong colony to put them onto to be reared, just wish the bees would read the books so they know what the plan is.

Bionic · « **Reply #1 on:** June 11, 2012, 09:28:21 am »

Good luck with it and let us know how you get on
Sally

Beeducked · « **Reply #2 on:** June 12, 2012, 04:04:32 pm »

Sounds exciting.

Still too much of a newbie to have tried queen rearing and I hope you have more success at rearing your queens than I have had at stopping mine from breeding! Starting to feel like a very bad beekeeper!

Be great to hear how you get on.

OldGaffer · « **Reply #3 on:** June 15, 2012, 08:29:13 pm »

Good luck, hope the weather favourable when it comes to mating the new queen bees.

Are you aiming for any specific traits / characteristics? For example Amm, i.e. Gentle English black bees, that are good at managing their stores.

Moleskins · « **Reply #4 on:** June 18, 2012, 08:05:51 pm »

Well checked today to see how many Queen cells were being produced.
9/10 are being drawn out so that's promising. The 10th one I'd grafted into the Jenter cup instead of using a cup that the Queen had laid in. Just goes to show, and I've experienced this before, no matter how gentle you are at grafting it's very easy to damage the young larvae.

The donor larvae are from my hive in the garden as these bees are gentle, dark and yes they over Winter well. I've taken them up the road to my 'Super' colony which is on a brood box and now has 2 supers on, so there's lots of bees in there to do the work of rearing Queens.

If all 9 of these come through I've got a major mating problem to solve.

Beeducked · « **Reply #5 on:** June 18, 2012, 08:42:52 pm »

They sound like lovely bees. I hope you have to cope with your mating problem!

Moleskins · « **Reply #6 on:** June 21, 2012, 10:23:59 pm »

The Queen cells are now being capped and if we get some dry weather I'm going to put cages over them so that if a Queen emerges she can't get at the others and kill them off.
I've also been preparing the mating hives ready for them to go in.
I collected a swarm the other day which isn't big enough to do any good so I'm thinking of putting them into the mating hives to do the job of looking after the Queen.

Beeducked · « **Reply #7 on:** June 24, 2012, 10:17:16 pm »

Wow. All sounds very organised and planned.

I seem to be running to stay still at the moment! I have one colony that seems determined to swarm at every opportunity.

Plantoid · « **Reply #8 on:** June 24, 2012, 10:28:39 pm »

Quote from: moleskins on June 21, 2012, 10:23:59 pm

The Queen cells are now being capped and if we get some dry weather I'm going to put cages over them so that if a Queen emerges she can't get at the others and kill them off.
I've also been preparing the mating hives ready for them to go in.
I collected a swarm the other day which isn't big enough to do any good so I'm thinking of putting them into the mating hives to do the job of looking after the Queen.

Putting a feral small swarm with god knows what diseases into rearing frames could be a recipe for disaster .

Why not use bees & a cpuple of frames from your own hives and swap positiion of the donor hive so any air borne bees come in and help will do the job ?
Then quarantee the small swarm in a neuc box away from home feed it treat it and let it buiold up then unite it to the smallest hive you have at the time ..
Those small swarms go like rockets , this weather we are having at present is giving ideal conditions for good nectar flows and lots of pollen .

I had thought we wopild have had the usual " June gap " in nectar flows and pollen but judging from my gardens it's all systems go ..... & some .

Moleskins · « **Reply #9 on:** June 25, 2012, 09:39:08 am »

Just to be clear, the small swarm bees would be de queened and then split into the mating hives just doing the job of looking after the Queen until she's laying. I take your point about disease though. One factor in the decision would be if the swarm Queen is marked, if so she's from a beekeeper and so should be ok.

Moleskins · « **Reply #10 on:** June 29, 2012, 11:43:26 pm »

Well of the 10 Queens cells I have 7 Queens held within their cages. 2 are in my own hives as new ones and the others I now need to get mated in the polystyrene mating hives. I've had this stage fail previously so will report back.

Moleskins · « **Reply #11 on:** July 14, 2012, 05:29:06 pm »

As promised I'm reporting back,
of the 4 polystyrene mating hives that I put Queens into one lot decided to kill her (I assume) as there's no sign, ( never had one fail to make it back from mating ) another one half the bees decided to go next door to the left and the other half decided to go next door to the right so only two of those have worked.
Another Queen I put into a hive which had been week prior to last Winter, they survived and have continued to struggle all this year. Upon inserting the new Queen they decided now was the time to die out

So, not brilliant results, but I've re Queened my own hives have two spare and learned a bit more.

Plantoid · « **Reply #12 on:** July 15, 2012, 11:16:04 pm »

Moleskins , sometimes when re-queening it's best to move the hive /box the three miles away and feed the hive ,then stop up the entrance to one or two bee spaces for three days or so so the residents can defend the hive from marauders. Leave it there for eight days or so before you go back to it .
In wet weather when it's also cool and the temp is close to 10 oC 50 oF it is fairly common for the queens to stay in the hive and not mate till the weather improves . This can take three weeks or more before she gets out on a mating flight .
This year because of the lousiest weather for over something like 117 years it may be longer or not even happen

Moleskins · « **Reply #13 on:** July 16, 2012, 11:58:31 am »

I'd taken bees from my strong hive where the Queens had been raised and put them into the mating hives with one of the Queens in each, then moved them, as you say, the 3 miles.
For some reason, presumably because they all knew each other, the ones from the centre mating box moved in either side. Even though the boxes were separated by a few feet, lesson learned though separate more and face the mating hives in different directions.