[…]Bigio*1,3, Hasan Al Toufailia1 , William O H Hughes2 , Francis L W Ratnieks1 Honey bee mating cannot be directly controlled in the same way as in many agriculturally important animals. Instrumental insemination is, however, possible and can be used as an aid in selective breeding. Hygienic behaviour, in which worker bees detect and remove dead or diseased brood from […]
[…]and meeting at drone congregation areas. How do honey bees minimize the chance of virgin queens mating with their brothers, and how does the mating process work? My interest into this subject is strongly influenced by the papers and books of Gudrun & Nikolaus […]
The Mating of Queens - Use of nucs, mini-nucs 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 […]
[…]better that your queen cells are staggered by date, it makes it easier when making up queen matingnuclei over several days rather than all in one day. I make up these on the 10th day after grafting, so you see that writing it down or taking a photograph is a must and does make life so much easier. Four […]
[…]crossbar on which the mini-nuc rests. A thick band of rubber cut from a car inner tube straps the nuc to the stake. The mini-nucs are sited so as to give the bees something to help them orient on to the site, such as a bush or small tree. This reduces losses due to queens returning to the wrong nuc. […]
[…]but queen cells may be duds. There are methods of minimising the downsides of both. 6) What matingnuc will you use? Three frame nuc needs more resources in terms of bees but is more successful. Mini nucs require fewer bees but are less successful and need more attention. 7) What method will you use to introduce your queens into […]
[…]handling techniques, selection criteria, producing queen cells, cell building colonies, matingnucs, etc. These courses are very popular, with lots of information and tips on improving your own and your local bees. Past experience suggests they are likely to fill up quickly. Numbers will be limited to give attendees individual attention where needed. See the BIBBA website https://bibba.com/event-info-2/ for details. […]
[…]with drones from the surrounding area. This is in contrast to other agricultural livestock where matings can be controlled and specific crosses produced at will. The use of exotic queens does not just affect the colonies that they are introduced to; there is a knock-on effect on the local population. Drones produced by imported queens will mate with new queens […]
[…]season (not much honey though)! The best method for splitting is to find the queen and make up a nuc with her (Frame of brood, shake 2 frames of bees in if staying in same apiary, frame of food and make up with spare empty comb or foundation, feed next day.) The bees in the now queenless colony will create […]
[…]needs to be defendable and the foraging bees may end up going back to the parent hive. I left new nucs locked up in a cool shed for three days before moving them out and onto a stand, opening up the entrance. So, did it all work? Not entirely. I had some bees not mate/return, some absconded, one queen was […]
[…]year we had more queen cells that failed to hatch than in previous years. As we take our nucs 70 miles to our mating site, it is a lot of wasted time and effort if the queens fail to emerge. We did use an incubator some years ago, and we still have two in working condition. We plan to use […]
[…]to bring their drone-free nucs to a site to get their queens mated with reliable drones. Running a mating station will involve costs but a charge could be made for each nuc benefitting from the facility. Financial viability is part of long-term sustainability. End of the season As we draw to the end of another season, whatever the highs and […]
[…]build up a supply of colonies to back up the queen cell rearing. Bees are essential for making up matingnucs, whether they be mini-nucs only requiring a cup-full of bees or a 2-frame nuc requiring a frame of stores, a frame of bees and largely sealed brood and three frames of empty comb for the queen to lay up […]
[…]where in its first 5 years had mono-strained a vast area with A. m. mellifera starting from one mating apiary belonging to Micheál Mac Giolla Coda. To see these bees being manipulated without veils or gloves, and to realise this has been done in such a short time, speaks volumes for the work of these beekeepers and the policies that […]
[…]to estimate male reproductive success of 16 drone producing colonies. This allowed for estimating the male mating success on both the colony level and the level of individual […]
[…]centre, a drone congregation area, and the surrounding populations. Honeybees have a very complex mating system in which drones and virgin queens meet mid-air to mate in areas that have been named drone congregation areas. Drones assembled in such a drone congregation area come from several surrounding colonies and thereby represent the diversity of the entire local population. These congregation […]
[…]can be quite difficult to find the queen of a very small colony such as a weak nucleus or a mini mating-nucleus. This is probably due to the fact that in these tiny colonies the queen is more likely to run onto the floor or sidewalls and it may be necessary to remove all the frames before she is found […]
[…]queen cells for those who want more queens. Changing queens in colonies. Making up matingnuclei. Getting queens mated. Working with other beekeepers and the local BKA. [/column-half-1][column-half-2]There will be plenty of information on colony management, with emphasis on understanding what is happening inside colonies and keeping things simple. Many beekeepers believe some of the current bee problems have partly […]
[…]has 180 members who make use of both 25 regional (non-isolated) and five isolated alpine mating stations, mating some 6,000 queens per annum. Breeding stock is selected on behavioural and morphometric criteria. One canton, Glarus in the east of the country, has granted A. m. mellifera protected status; the federal government has refused to extend this status nationwide but has […]
[…]rather than soil the hive and possibly spread disease. Despite the odd report of Apiary Vicinity Mating (AVM) being observed in other races, it is thought that only Amm are capable of performing this useful function on a regular basis. If correct, it may suggest that some of the problems seen in U.K. and Irish conditions where poor mating in […]
What is Apis mellifera mellifera? Apis mellifera mellifera, Linnaeus 1758 is a subspecies and northern geographical race of Apis mellifera, the western honeybee. It may be subdivided into many local ecotypes. Its various vernacular names include: “Dark European Honeybee” (English), “L’abeille noire” (French), “Die dunkle Biene” (German) and “Det mörka Nordiska Biet” (Swedish). Apis mellifera mellifera is distinguished from other […]
[…]will fly in dull and drizzly weather which would keep Italian bees indoors. It may also be that mating can take place at lower temperatures than in the case of the southern races. Although less prolific than Italians, the workers live longer and there is a higher ratio of foraging bees to hive bees. The wintering capabilities of the Dark […]
[…]Eighe. No other beekeepers/feral colonies were known to be in the area at that time and drone-free mating hives housing virgins were set up as a test, as no successful mating was achieved a number of hives were established on the reserve. New queens were successfully grafted, mated and reared from more brood retrieved from the source apiary and these […]
[…]site in a secluded valley and have taken breeder drone colonies and virgin queens there for mating, we are taking a break from the time-consuming use of the out-apiary, so we can concentrate on establishing the Group and the colonies on the new site. The out-apiary is there for the future if we need it. Key to our bee […]
[…]covering are:- Colony handling techniques. Making up and managing queen mating colonies and nuclei. Discussing and demonstrating Q/C building methods. Clipping and marking queens and drones. Q/C raising colonies. Assessing colonies and deciding which to raise queens from and which to replace. Selection criteria. Recording. Working with other beekeepers. Setting up and running a bee improvement facility. Equipment required - […]
[…]technical equipment. As the success of breeding programmes strongly depends on the selective mating of queens, a subchapter is dedicated to the management and quality control of mating stations. Recommendations for the handling and quality control of queens complete the queen rearing section. The improvement of colony traits usually depends on a comparative testing of colonies. Standardized recommendations for the […]
[…]the apiaries there are owned by members of the group. This provides an excellent opportunity for mating our best virgins. All the known beekeepers in the rest of the area are supportive of our aims and are careful to keep local bees. This means that we are able to make good progress in bee improvement. We also like to encourage […]
[…]for cell raising, and grafed larvae and also used the Jenter system.. We used Apidea mini-nucs for mating. We also trained 4 members in instrumental insemination. Further Info You can see full details and register for information on our meetup site […]
[…]difficult as the colonies were depleted of natural stores and the weather was mostly too cold for mating, even on rare fine days. We hope for better conditions in 2016 and the successful rearing and mating of a larger number of queens. Demand for Amm queens is strong in Scotland where there is growing interest in locally-bred, native and/or well-acclimatised […]
[…]papers. Currently he is running 100+ colonies for honey, pollination and the sale of queens and nuclei whilst undertaking overseas extension work in the winter. Lecture Title: “BIBBA in the Isle of Man 40+ years ago” In the 1970s I was the group’s secretary of the Village Bee Breeders Association (now BIBBA). In 1972 the committee met at Beo’s (Beowulf […]
[…]are being prepared, either plastic bought at the Tradex or Benton Cages constructed from timber. Mating preparations have started; making Queen Castles and attending lectures on Apidea management Activities we have planned: Swarm control !!! 🙂 More evening social meetings Apiary visits in BBOBI area to encourage others to have a go at rearing queens Mount Edgcumbe return visit to […]
[…]Alternative Methods for Holding Virgin Honey Bee Queens for One Week in Mailing Cages before Mating Gianluigi Bigio , Christoph Grüter, Francis L. W. Ratnieks Published: November 16, 2012 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0050150 Abstract In beekeeping, queen honey bees are often temporarily kept alive in cages. We determined the survival of newly-emerged virgin honey bee queens every day for seven days in […]
[…]will outline the job description of drones and include some behavior particulars leading onto the mating event, the ultimate goal of all drones. I hope to demystify sex alleles and show very clearly how they work. We are well aware that our queens are polyandrous (promiscuous). I will demonstrate whether it is just the number of drones or the variety […]
[…]apiary and sell products from the hive under the name La Reine (French for Queen), queens, nucs and provide pollination services. Lecture Title: “Queen Rearing Simplified” Queen rearing simplified is about rearing the best quality queens and is useful for small and medium sized apiaries. The method is based on standard equipment and standard frames, so no need for small […]
[…]breeding programme and its arduous task of learning about queen and drone-rearing, natural mating and instrumental insemination, colony assessment and bee morphometry and breeder evaluation and selection. Lecture Title: “A current attempt to recover Apis mellifera mellifera from mongrelised stocks in the Welsh Borders” Achieving sustained and demonstrable bee improvement in only a few years requires the use of selective […]
[…]traits that are typical of the local ecotype and makes use of his own queenright system and a mating apiary located in a semi-isolated valley. He is currently working with researchers at Bangor University to improve the techniques employed in the area for assessing colonies. He is an active member of BIBBA, helping to coordinate the efforts of a number […]
[…]keep ahead of your beekeeping problems, each beekeeper should ideally operate a percentage of mini matingnucs, according to the amount of honey producing hives that they keep. The aim is to always have a surplus of spare queens, to stay ahead of the needs of the bees. It should help you to fix most of the beekeeping problems that […]
[…]time beekeeper. He now runs about 30 colonies, and helps with the management of a number of BipCo mating apiaries. He is also Chairman of BipCo and one of the Directors of B4, (Bring Back Black Bees), which is a community interest company looking at conserving the remnant populations of Amm in Cornwall. Nick has recently taken over the role […]
[…]nucs with some degree of confidence. . . QR at Keepers Cottage – Peter Edwards Stands for matingnucs were then installed — appropriately made from hexagonal paving slabs — and we were ready to start! Black bees in Wales – Eifion Williams Adaptation and resourcefulness is a key factor to beekeeping and I wanted to create the boxes cheaply. […]
[…]long term, 56% of species declined and 44% increased. Varroa resistance – Gareth John …Open Mating and Wild Bees in Southern England Dark bees in Cornwall – Bob Black But nothing had prepared me for the initial results of the DNA analysis. . . Ardnamurchan native bees – Kate Atchley Written as a fictional interview, I’ve asked and answered questions […]
[…]affecting mating and interbreeding. Minimal drifting. Drones expelled earlier. Alternative mating behaviour. Temperament compatible with other native bees. E. Ruttner, Milner & Dews 1990.10 Late start in spring Early cessation for winter Excellent wintering Non-flying with snow on the ground. White cappings. The following characters are common to two or more of the above sources: Unprolific. White cappings. Thrifty. Compact […]
[…]some details of a system of mating isolation by time of day (“Mondschein”or “Moonlight”) mating… Pure Mating by Time Isolation – John E Dews For ordinary beekeepers a major problem in bee breeding is the difficulty of ensuring pure matings for their selected queens. If this problem can be solved, much more rapid progress will be possible in improving the […]
[…]Clare A model agreement – Terry Clare Queen rearing group – Roger Patterson Warnholz Mini BiVo nuc – Dave Cushman The Harding Mini Nuc – John Harding Bee improvement – Roger Patterson Entombment follow-up – Dave Cushman BBKA Forum – Roger Patterson Morphometry Course – Dinah Sweet BIBBA members can download a pdf copy of the full magazine for personal […]
[…]and queen introduction techniques. Drone production Making up queen mating colonies and nuclei. Getting queens mated and mating control. Equipment required – buying, making, improvising or modifying. Dispelling some of the myths Delegates will leave the course with the confidence and skills to start rearing queens and developing their own bee stocks. Who is it for? This course is aimed […]
[…]and queen introduction techniques. Drone production Making up queen mating colonies and nuclei. Getting queens mated and mating control. Equipment required – buying, making, improvising or modifying. Dispelling some of the myths Delegates will leave the course with the confidence and skills to start rearing queens and developing their own bee stocks. Who is it for? This course is aimed […]
[…]include other beekeepers with the intention to establish a local near native Amm strain ‘queen mating zone’ as described in the BIBBA proposal. The winter months will be spent now sorting and repairing stored gear, and getting equipment ready for the new season. We do wish to continue to be associated with National BIBBA and the NatBIP […]
[…]group with the emphasis of breeding pedigree lines of Cornish Native dark bees utilising isolated mating apiaries and Instrumental Insemination. Working closely with the other bee improvement groups in the South West. contact Dave Ledger […]
[…]queen introduction, the selection and grafting of larvae and queen cell raising and queen mating using mini-nucs. The presentation of the course gave attendees plenty of opportunity for discussion and practice and, without exception, everyone benefitted from the course both in terms of a deeper understanding of the subject and of confidence to practise the skills acquired. Considerable thanks are […]
Lilac Cottage British Black Bees aim to work with the B4 project to establish breeding stock, and a mating area in North Somerset contact Jon Penton 07712 […]
[…]1981, following a beekeeping tour of Germany, he was involved in the establishment of an isolated mating site at Spurn Point. At this time, he was the driving force behind a surge of publications and, eventually, the publication of Bee Improvement magazine. It was Albert who suggested the British Isles Bee Breeders Association be changed to Bee Improvement and Bee […]
[…]imported queens. We presently do not have the ability to inspect or vouch for such queens and nucs and simply require the seller to give an assurance that they are raised from local stock and are not imports, and that the seller supports the objectives of BIBBA. Learn to Create Your Own Bees & Queens: NatBIP Guide Roger’s “Free Bees […]
[…]queen rearing. Simple queen rearing methods. Simple and efficient ways to produce nuclei. Suggested methods for BKAs to supply bees and queens to members/beginners. Methods for small and larger quantities. Benefits of teaching apiaries. Producing bees and queens in teaching apiaries. Queen rearing as a collective exercise. Producing bees and queens, yet still getting a good honey crop. Including queen […]
[…]queen rearing. Simple queen rearing methods. Simple and efficient ways to produce nuclei. Suggested methods for BKAs to supply bees and queens to members/beginners. Methods for small and larger quantities. Benefits of teaching apiaries. Queen rearing facility in teaching apiaries. Queen rearing as a collective exercise. Producing bees and queens, yet still getting a good honey crop. Including queen rearing […]
[…]queen rearing. Simple queen rearing methods. Simple and efficient ways to produce nuclei. Suggested methods for BKAs to supply bees and queens to members/beginners. Methods for small and larger quantities. Benefits of teaching apiaries. Queen rearing facility in teaching apiaries. Queen rearing as a collective exercise. Producing bees and queens, yet still getting a good honey crop. Including queen rearing […]
[…]queen rearing. Simple queen rearing methods. Simple and efficient ways to produce nuclei. Suggested methods for BKAs to supply bees and queens to members/beginners. Methods for small and larger quantities. Benefits of teaching apiaries. Queen rearing facility in teaching apiaries. Queen rearing as a collective exercise. Producing bees and queens, yet still getting a good honey crop. Including queen rearing […]
[…]queen rearing. Simple queen rearing methods. Simple and efficient ways to produce nuclei. Suggested methods for BKAs to supply bees and queens to members/beginners. Methods for small and larger quantities. Benefits of teaching apiaries. Queen rearing facility in teaching apiaries. Queen rearing as a collective exercise. Producing bees and queens, yet still getting a good honey crop. Including queen rearing […]
[…]queen rearing. Simple queen rearing methods. Simple and efficient ways to produce nuclei. Suggested methods for BKAs to supply bees and queens to members/beginners. Methods for small and larger quantities. Benefits of teaching apiaries. Queen rearing facility in teaching apiaries. Queen rearing as a collective exercise. Producing bees and queens, yet still getting a good honey crop. Including queen rearing […]
[…]are trying to mate your queens. The books say a 10km radius (6 miles) is necessary to get reliable matings but I find that a smaller area works possibly due to apiary vicinity mating and cool temperature flying of the native sub-species. * usually wide light bands, or tomenta, on the abdomen, and white/grey (as opposed to yellow/brown) hairs on […]
[…]of native and near-native bees through queen breeding and rearing, and the production of ‘nucs’, including Bee Improvement Programmes in the British Isles and Ireland; Supporting and developing queen-rearing operations and local/regional mating stations for the use of beekeepers in the relevant area; Supporting local Beekeeping Associations who are interested in supporting native and near-native bees; Campaigning to change beekeeping […]
[…]to the NatBIP project. This could have big advantages, particularly when it comes to the mating of newly reared queens. If you are interested in joining or developing a group to work together, get in contact with our Groups Secretary Brian Holdcroft – he can be reached on – and will aim to answer the questions you might have. […]
[…]Batty entered our lives. The strong winds over the Pennines proved too much for successful queen mating so they retrenched into the Holme Valley and went for honey, whilst ridding their colonies of bad tempered bees. In his 60’s, Lester had major Heart Bypass surgery, which made him refuse to physically hurry along. He was happy to walk behind Tom […]
[…]for poor queens. They have a significant impact on the longevity of queens, because of poor mating and infertility. This is thought to be caused by poor nutrition and chemical miticides. We encourage beekeepers to value and nurture their drones with the same care they would their queens. Encourage the use of British hybrid queens We want to encourage people […]
[…]time beekeeper. He now runs about 30 colonies, and helps with the management of a number of BipCo mating apiaries. He is also Chairman of BipCo and one of the Directors of B4, (Bring Back Black Bees), which is a community interest company looking at conserving the remnant populations of Amm in […]
[…]Queens can’t be delivered in early May this year, however there is no reason why we can’t try mating them and offering mated queens or even nucs to you in late June. We have been researching and making queen banks in the hope we can hold our best queens a little longer this year. Another success from last year was […]
[…]and thus be directly related to the original breeder queens. The aim will be to develop queen mating zones, in which ‘good’ drones produced in the area can dominate and mate with our newly produced queens. Over time the effects of hybridization of our bees can be reduced and we can develop local strains based on the native bee. Why […]
[…]August 7:30pm – Lynfa Davies – “The Mystery of Mating” Presentation: “The Mystery of Mating”. View Recording – Lynfa Davies – “The Mystery of Mating” Tuesday 1st September 7:30pm – Roger Patterson – “Challenge what you are told……….” View Recording – Roger Patterson – “Challenge what you are told……….” Tuesday 8th September 7:30pm – Peter Jenkins – “The KISS Approach” […]
[…]colonies and 12 nucs survived the winter. During the summer the full colonies stayed the same, but nucs increased to 32, all for queen mating. I use natural queen cells when available, but for artificial cells I have bars of 10 larvae, either punched or grafted, all raised in queenless colonies to reduce travel. This was not intended to distribute […]
[…]and also from grafting and dedicated cell raisers are mated from some 100 Apidea mini mating nucs. Careful record keeping of mated queens ensures queen lines are maintained. Colonsay offers the ideal isolation for an island mating station. However, the Hebridean islands are not the place to risk a pension on a queen rearing business! Swarm inspections start around mid-June […]
[…]his love of bees with his love for teaching. Richard started his beekeeping journey with a nuc of bees in 2006 after a 6-week local association beginners’ course and over the years has gradually expanded to 50 colonies. Proud to be the current chairman of Barnsley Beekeepers Association, Richard is a strong believer in locally produced bees and queens (in small […]
[…]bees” 30. Jonathan Getty “Raising queens and the use of mini nucs” April 6. Roger Patterson “Bee Improvement in a Group – Some Ideas” 13. John Chambers "Four incompatible approaches to bee improvement" 20. Tony Jefferson “Never Waste a Queen Cell” 27. Eoghan MacGiollacoda “Bee Farming with native/near bees” May 4. […]
Recordings of the majority of webinars are available on our YouTube Channel Don’t forget to sign up here, for free, to learn more about our future programme. This is a listing of the Spring 2021 programme, with links to the […]
[…]everything very pragmatically and makes no drama of the process, or needing piles of kit. A few nuc boxes and a strong colony is all that’s really required.Rogers hints and tips as you read through make perfect sense. This is a great addition to any Beekeepers reading, and can hopefully prevent needless imports of colonies when we can do this, […]
[…]both the male and female lines. This is achieved through instrumental insemination or isolated mating apiaries. Good results can be achieved in this way and beekeepers can buy the resulting queens and rear further generations of queens from them. Unfortunately, the quality achieved by breeding cannot be maintained in the wider environment. It is not considered a sustainable system as […]
[…]generations can be dealt with in various ways. It could be re-queened or moved out of the ‘mating area’ for use as a honey producer or built up on a double brood box for splitting into nucs. It then becomes a useful resource for making more […]
[…]of standard. *To assess this score, the strength going into winter may need to be assessed. A nuc will probably be weaker in spring than full-size colony. Main Table Some columns can be assessed at each inspection, but others need only be used when appropriate. 2021: Date of inspection Insp. by: Inspected by – useful if working in a group […]
[…]could be placed in an incubator, with water for humidity, at 34.5°C. or transferred, one each to nucs, mininucs or mini+nucs. Queen Rearing Method without grafting (or finding the queen) This queen rearing method does not require the queen to be found or larvae to be grafted. If the bees do not raise any queen cells nothing is lost, the […]
[…]establishing our selected strain in an area because irrespective of her open mating with its mixed mating possibilities the drones she produces will carry only her mother’s genes. This is because drones have only half of the chromosomes which come from their mother’s side. So, if we can produce enough drones from our daughter queens eventually we increase the possibility […]
[…]into Italy despite these EU regulations. The largest number of imports of package bees and/or nucs brought into the UK since 2014 until leaving the EU in 2020 each year were from Italy. (National Bee Unit stats here). Continual importation is likely to harm the efforts of beekeepers who are seeking to select bees for natural resilience to varroa. Locally […]
There are a lot of beekeeping videos online. Some are excellent, with factual and sound information featuring good, knowledgeable and experienced beekeepers. Unfortunately there are many of dubious accuracy, giving poor advice that may be inappropriate for our conditions. As there is no vetting procedure to display educational material online, what is the inexperienced beekeeper to believe? BIBBA strongly believes […]
[…]If there are several cells and the colony is a reasonable size, it could be split into 2 or more nucs and queen cells cut out and added to nucs, as necessary. Improving the temperament in one’s bees is often ignored but it should be the first quality to be tackled. In less than 4 weeks a new queen should […]
[…]Distribute sealed cells (that is 1 week + 3 days after grafting) to incubator, or queenless nucs/mininucs. NB: Sealed cells can be removed to incubator, earlier but young pupae in queen cells are quite delicate and should be handled carefully. Day 15-17 Queen cells will hatch. If in incubator, feed with honey:water mix 1:1 and distribute asap Queens will start […]
[…]whole improvement process, perhaps saving years of effort. Honey bees, however, with the multiple mating of queens will tend to outcross with drones from the area and much effort will be required to select and maintain the strain. Both approaches, or a combination of the two, will, I believe, tend towards the same end result, which will be a near-native […]
Beekeeping: Challenge what you are told! “Have you ever met a beekeeper with fixed opinions about a beekeeping topic? Have you questioned that experience and knowledge they are based on? The craft used to be local, traditionally learnt by observing bees, whereas today, we are bombarded with international communications, promotions, soundbites, sensationalism and the like, with the same information, whether […]
[…]to their mother queen), and those drones being numerous, the chances of one or more of them mating with any queen that happened by a congregation would therefore be increased, thus passing those ‘many-drones’ genes on to the next generation. That new generation would then produce many drones again and those, having the advantage of numbers, would once again dominate […]
[…]Preparing supers for extraction; Removing unwanted food from brood combs; Making up a two frame nuc; Roger’s inspection kit; cold or warm way?; Protecting a queen cell; Assembling national frames and boxes; and, most recently, the Toggle hive strap. For three days, except for a change of clothes, this is how we were dressed. The bees were a delight. Like […]
[…]Closures I am in the process of making some wooden matingnucs that are part of a system that is a different concept of producing queens than the usual methods. I will explain the method later, but I had a need for some sort of entrance closure other than the usual grass. The most suitable was the round enclosures, that […]
[…]a second apiary where we keep the drone hives. This way, we try to control (as best we can) the mating of our queens. Its possible the mating apiary was over stocked last year for the available forage. So this year we have decided to limit the number of full hives to 2 starter/finisher hives and 2 queen castles housing […]
[…]colonies). Transfer larvae from the selected breeder queen. Distribute queen cells (or queens) to matingnuclei. Distribute mated queens. Most methods involve converting a full-sized colony into a cell raiser by either removing the queen or by physically separating the cell-raising portion of the colony from the queen. In contrast, in the Vorstman method, the cell raiser is produced by […]
[…]Programme Who can participate in NatBIP? One of the matingnucs at the Special Apiary Project at Sandringham. NatBIP is appropriate for all beekeepers from the very small-scale to large-scale commercial beekeepers. Everyone can contribute and make a difference. We accept that everyone’s starting position is different, but we start with the bees in our area. The principal rule is […]
[…]evaluation of colonies. In practice, the Landesverband Dunkle Biene Bayern e.V. has the use of a mating station in Bavaria to produce pure bred queens. This is operated by our first Chairman, Armin Lochner. Assessments of colonies with queens mated here in 2021 were so positive that the number of drone colonies in 2022 was increased to 30 colonies with […]
[…]colonies). Transfer larvae from the selected breeder queen. Distribute queen cells (or queens) to matingnuclei. Distribute mated queens. Most methods involve converting a full-sized colony into a cell raiser by either removing the queen or by physically separating the cell-raising portion of the colony from the queen. In contrast, in the Vorstman method, the cell raiser is produced by […]
The Mating of Queens - Use of nucs, mini-nucs 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 […]
[…]Programme Who can participate in NatBIP? One of the matingnucs at the Special Apiary Project at Sandringham. NatBIP is appropriate for all beekeepers from the very small-scale to large-scale commercial beekeepers. Everyone can contribute and make a difference. We accept that everyone’s starting position is different, but we start with the bees in our area. The principal rule is […]
[…]Closures I am in the process of making some wooden matingnucs that are part of a system that is a different concept of producing queens than the usual methods. I will explain the method later, but I had a need for some sort of entrance closure other than the usual grass. The most suitable was the round enclosures, that […]
[…]build up a supply of colonies to back up the queen cell rearing. Bees are essential for making up matingnucs, whether they be mini-nucs only requiring a cup-full of bees or a 2-frame nuc requiring a frame of stores, a frame of bees and largely sealed brood and three frames of empty comb for the queen to lay up […]
[…]to bring their drone-free nucs to a site to get their queens mated with reliable drones. Running a mating station will involve costs but a charge could be made for each nuc benefitting from the facility. Financial viability is part of long-term sustainability. End of the season As we draw to the end of another season, whatever the highs and […]
[…]but queen cells may be duds. There are methods of minimising the downsides of both. 6) What matingnuc will you use? Three frame nuc needs more resources in terms of bees but is more successful. Mini nucs require fewer bees but are less successful and need more attention. 7) What method will you use to introduce your queens into […]
[…]handling techniques, selection criteria, producing queen cells, cell building colonies, matingnucs, etc. These courses are very popular, with lots of information and tips on improving your own and your local bees. Past experience suggests they are likely to fill up quickly. Numbers will be limited to give attendees individual attention where needed. See the BIBBA website https://bibba.com/event-info-2/ for details. […]
