Hi Kathy & All,

>I would like to know the way to raise queens for a hobby beekeeper. I have
>14
>hives, so I don't need 100 queens. Is there a good method that does not
>involve buying new equipment?
>

The URL below will give you a good idea of some simple methods of rearing
and mating some queens, I use a version of the alley method.
http://www.gobeekeeping.com/queen_rearing.htm
You may want to join in on the bee breeders guild I have started so you can
begin to breed local bred queens in your area and start a local chapter in
your location.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/abahbb/

If I may quote from Bee Culture's magazine December 2003 issue.

"Dr. Marla Spivak’s wonderful, J.I. Hambleton, talk to the Eastern
Apiculture Society in August, 2003. She basically said that everyone in the
room (mostly small or hobby beekeepers) had to stop using pesticides now. We
need to be the leaders in the process of selection for Varroa resistance
because we can take the hit of losing colonies for a few years until
progress is sufficient for the Winter losses to end."

It is not only time for Beekeepers to unite in Alaska to breed a good stock
for Alaska but it is time for beekeepers across America and the Globe to
unite to breed bees for the health and welfare of the honey bee. Marla
thinks that small hobby beekeepers can be responsible for accomlplishing
this task, and I think so too, not to say that we would not need help from
larger even commercial beekeepers and breeders.

. . ..   Keith Malone, Chugiak, Alaska USA, http://www.cer.org/,
c(((([ Caucasian Bee Keeper, http://takeoff.to/alaskahoney/,

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