Good questions.  Worth discussion.  The video was actually sent to me be a follower here.  I had forgotten Kim posted it.  I had lunch with Andy and discussed that in more detail, as I was pretty interested in that nugget.

TO answer your question,  most guys when faced with something like this will run some sort of real trial.  Usually pretty small to start, and then depending on outcome and cost,  maybe a larger one.   Success or failure there will determine how they move on.  In the case above, If I recall the claim was based on switching types of queens, from Red queens to blacks if I remember correctly.  (I have discussed it with others also)  

To the detriment,  many then will either discard the idea or adopt it without follow up checks. It does tend to become standard practice, without follow up data, as that’s not the point for most.  In my own experience we did just that,   I tried a pallet here in the yard, and then we marked 2 yards worth of queens (56 hives)and tried it. Very pleased with the results,  so put it in the toolbox.




Q: If you're just looking for a colony to be queen-right with an acceptable pattern, how can you make a claim about success rates without actual verification that the old queen is gone? 






>The absolute best way to requeen if you can't find the old queen is a ready to hatch sell placed in the honey supers.   The average is about 85% success in superseding the old queen, and no swarms.

Q: Andy claims about 60-66% take rate, which he doesn't explain in the video. How do you account for your much higher 85% success rate?  


Timing.  Andy mentioned it as a time saver in the fall.  My operation has time in fall so we do full checks then,  but package and split season (April and may) is crazy,  bad weather  and so much to do such as this week we lost 5 days to rain and cold.   In fairness,  I doubt our success is constantly that high, we all take more time and care when running test.  What it has pretty well completely solved is queenless hives.
This season I had a about 20% go completely queenless as we didn't get to them.  Our swarm rate is also much higher (most will tell you young queen is much slower to be swarmy)  our rate on requeen hives being queenless or swarmy is a lot better.  Doesn’t take to many swarmed out hives to make one see a value.  

None of this applies if you have the time,  or as Jaunse the labor. But for me, and several others its less hive down time and a good value. And way above 15% that would be a non starter.


Charles

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