Hi all around the beekeeping world.

We are still strugling overhere to do our last harvest. Actually running
since on monday there is a huge cold front coming in. Some 80 mm of rain is
forecast.

Well, I have check each of 1300 colonies (round numbers) up the mountain. I
have Number of frames with bees, with brood and with honey. Also the age of
the queen and its phenology (black, brown, redish) and an observation if the
brood pattern doesn't look good (pms, scattered).

It is autumn here and I want to develop and index mixing the above data to
select our next year breader stock.

The distribution of the population looks normal (Gauss bell curve).

I was thinking on rating x3 the frames with honey, x2 the frames with bees
and x1 the frames with brood. Then add 2xstandard desviation (37) to the
average (57) to select those outstanding ones (2.9% of the colonies based on
the above multipliers). The result is 37 colonies to be selected.

Index = FHoneyx3+FBeesx2+FBrood


x3 frames with honey because I want colonies that produce lots of honey
x2 frames with bees, because I want populated colonies in spite of producing
honey
x1 frames with brood, because I want a genetic that closes early the brood.

What do you think? Do you agree with the factors? Any method to define those
factors?

-- 
Juanse Barros J.
APIZUR S.A.
Carrera 695
Gorbea - CHILE
+56-45-271693
08-3613310
http://apiaraucania.blogspot.com/
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