[…]I name my colonies after plants, trees, birds, etc. Violet had a 2021 queen that overwintered welland was doing well in early 2022, with the early crop good. On 27th June I noted the queen was failing. On 26th July the queen had disappeared andthere were emergency cells, which I reduced to one. On 12th August there were […]
[…]scenarios and depend on such factors as the equipment available, how many queens you want, andthe final fate of the raised queens. The method described here aims to simultaneously produce both queensand nuclei and would probably suit a medium-sized beekeeping operation, a few beekeepers working together, or an association’s breeding programme. Basis of the Method In September 2016, […]
[…]– a practical course The course consists of one day self-study using bespoke video tutorials andthen a practical day in the apiary with Roger Patterson. The improvement of bees is an important part of beekeeping. The suitability of bees to the environment andtheir temper are issues that concern the caring beekeeper, but are not often taught. The course […]
[…]Something I have never experienced before. Those queens that did make it, then had to battle wind andthe rain to try and get mated. And those that did, once laying, their nucleus colonies failed to build up sufficiently to go into winter. What did we learn?I suspect lack of forage due to poor weather and bad flying days was […]
[…]on the BIBBA website, free for all to use. Some parts of the Guide are still not complete andthere is always room for beekeepers to submit useful tips, techniques, and ideas. The 2022 NatBIP Record Card is available for download for your use so that you can continuously assess the qualities of your bees, essential for choosing which queens […]
[…]us to get our message across directly to more beekeepers. We have completely re-vamped the BIBBA Standand now have electronic sign-up for new memberships and a card payment system. Both were very successful as was the level of sales of our books and other publications. However, the most useful and valuable part of the day was the opportunity to […]
[…]Programme (NatBIP) has been launched in England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, the Isle of Man andthe Channel Islands. This is an initiative organised by the Bee Improvement and Bee Breeders’ Association (BIBBA), with the aims of reducing the number of imports of honey bees into Britain, Irelandand associated islands* and of improving the quality of our honey bees. This […]
[…]of us have started three years ago, teaching beginners and others, with a bias toward conservation andthe environment, rearing our own queens from black bees. Why do the bees rear so many drones? This piece aims to explain: why the production of a large number of drones is the inevitable consequence of the free mating of queens in […]
[…]Programme (NatBIP) ihas been launched in England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, the Isle of Man andthe Channel Islands. This is an initiative organised by the Bee Improvement and Bee Breeders’ Association (BIBBA), with the aims of reducing the number of imports of honey bees into Britain, Irelandand associated islands* and of improving the quality of our honey bees. This […]
[…]Programme (NatBIP) ihas been launched in England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, the Isle of Man andthe Channel Islands. This is an initiative organised by the Bee Improvement and Bee Breeders’ Association (BIBBA), with the aims of reducing the number of imports of honey bees into Britain, Irelandand associated islands* and of improving the quality of our honey bees. This […]
[…]was simply interested in finding one or two local beekeepers who were interested in raising local Ammqueens. The reply informed me about BIBBA’s plan to start rearing Ammqueens on the Sandringham Estate and since I only lived a couple of miles away would I be interested in getting a project off the ground! The initial aim was to […]
[…]today, we are bombarded with international communications, promotions, soundbites, sensationalism andthe like, with the same information, whether reliable or not, appearing in many places. Taking inappropriate advice can mean a dead colony, so we need to occasionally check and challenge what we are told.” Colony Increase: The Roger Patterson Method This book describes a little known but simple way […]
[…]in Ireland, this book will become a ‘go to’ source of information not just for beekeepers in the island of Ireland but for all beekeepers who keep Amm bees or who want to know more. It covers all the essentials: What is a native Irish honey bee? Consideration of honey bee genetics (which will become an increasingly important issue in […]
[…]calculated that the total cost would be around £7500. To date we have received £5500 in grants andthe balance has been raised through various fund-raising activities such as our Annual Open Day and sales of Lune Valley Long Hives. The views and opinions expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or […]
[…]or group should consider is what method should I/we follow to Improve our bees and to produce queens. There are a few key choices depending on your aims, capacity (time and equipment) and capabilities. I’m assuming the reader is looking for a bee that is native and/or locally adapted. Kevin […]
[…]up the sub-species. Some people think it is too late to do anything about it, the damage is done, andthe only answer is to keep buying in good bees, but we think that is just continuing the vicious circle. Can we make a difference? Thetheory of bee improvement is one thing, but it is only of value if […]
[…]By performing an artificial swarm, he was able to harvest early swarm cells, manipulate them andthe parent colony to provide potential new queens. This really is the easiest, and least complex method of queen rearing, and perfectly suitable to anyone that wishes to rear a few of their own queen to replace existing or give away to friends etc. Phil […]
[…]to be the case. To read more about this project, click here. Nosema ceranae, Fipronil andtheir combination compromise honey bee reproduction via changes in male physiology. This article discusses the effects of Nosema cerannae on the life traits of mature drones, following exposure under semi-field conditions. The results show that the parasite/insecticide combination drastically affect both physiology and survival. […]
[…]Bee Improvement and Bee Breeders' Association (BIBBA) will be running a small number of practical andtheoretical courses during the summer months. These will be aimed at beekeepers who wish to improve their bees, with emphasis on suitability to the environment, docility, calmness on the comb, ease of management, good use of stores, etc. The improvement of bees is an […]
[…]our skills to become self-sufficient in producing Queensand colonies for our teaching programme and as a source of local bees for beginners. In the long term we would be excited to part of the effort to improve the nation’s […]
[…]have spelt disaster on quite a large scale. Fortunately, the fine weather has come just in time andthe bees are now, at last, bringing nectar and pollen in. Being able to cope with whatever nature throws at the bees is a very important quality and is the principle behind ‘local adaptation’. Through ‘survival of the fittest’ our bees can […]
[…]opposed to the import of package bees, through the loophole of trade between Northern Irelandand Britain, has just been announced. It seems they have gone back on their assurances, made in February, that only queens, and not packages of bees, can be imported from Europe. As they put it, previously, “HMRC have anti-avoidance measures in place to ensure that […]
[…]course specifically designed to meet the individual needs of each participant. It covers both theory and husbandry techniques delivered as Zoom meetings. Individual members are guided to choose a queen rearing method appropriate for their circumstances and skill level; individual or small group support will be given as they undertake their queen rearing. There is no charge for this course, […]
[…]being able to fly due to the weather, but we can take steps to improve the acceptance of grafts andthe finishing of cells by supplementary feeding of both syrup and pollen. Changes made this year at the outset of the season were largely successful, andthese were:- Use of plastic foundation in the Apidea mini-nucs. This proved to be […]
[…]may need the viewer to take into account regional variations and make adjustments based on their own knowledge and experience. Beginners Pests and Diseases Management techniques Queen rearing and bee improvement General […]
[…]a bee improvement point of view, it is important to start assessing the qualities of our colonies, andtherefore of our queens, so that we can select a queen, or queens, to use to produce the next generation of queens. Ideally, have a record card for each colony (i.e. one for each queen) and assess the colony on each inspection. […]
[…]will quickly build up as to which colonies have what you want and which colonies, perhaps, need their queens replacing, or the colony at least removed from the ‘breeding area’. How long before I can select a ‘breeder queen’? Much has been written about queen rearing but surprisingly little about assessment of colonies and selecting which queen to breed from. […]
[…]encourage and support local beekeepers keep locally-adapted bees with locally raised, open-mated queens of local heritage. Please Contact: Matthew […]
BIBBAOpposes the Importation of Honey Bees andQueens Here are 15 reasons why: Bee Health BIBBA supports the prosperity and wellbeing of all our current populations of bees, including honey bees, bumblebees and solitary bees as well as other pollinators, Imported honey bees pose a considerable risk each year to our present populations in many different ways. This ever-growing practice […]
The National Bee Improvement Programme The new season is fast approaching and so to allow beekeepers to prepare for participating in NatBIP we have added the NatBIP Record Card and instruction sheet. This will also be available in the NatBIP GUIDE on the BIBBA website. Record Card The card can be printed out on A4 paper, one for each colony. […]
[…]us to see at a glance our progress (see using NatBIP record card). We can then select and cull thequeens that we consider don’t display the chosen traits and replace them with ones that do. We then have our colonies headed by queens we have selected. From these we can produce daughter queens through our queen breeding programme….…. this […]
[…]and mini+ nucs Whether you are using natural queen cells, emergency queen cells, grafted queen cells or cells produced from larval transfer kits (such as Jenter or Cupkit), the next step in the process is finding a home for the queen cell or virgin queen so that she can go on mating flights from about the age of 5 days […]
[…]things in beekeeping, the best way to learn is to have a go, find out what works or does not work, andthen try to refine or improve the technique over time. Althoughthere is an enormous array of information available on queen rearing, it is appropriate to include a few techniques that beekeepers have found work well for them, […]
