> I have been thinking of ways to produce early drones for mating up here in
> Alaska where our season is already very short. Does anyone know how to do
> this?

Not easy, but here is a solution for those who really want early drones. Take the queen out of the hive very late the previous fall. So late that the new emergency queen has no chance to mate. ( here in Finland  mid - sptember is ok). This hive will have lots of drones extremely early next spring, but you have to add normal brood from other hives to keep up with the production.

Best to use with artificial insemination as at least here it takes a long time for the weather to warm up for natural mating.

Ari

Ari Seppälä   MMM
Projektipäällikkö  Project Manager
Suomen Mehiläishoitajain Liitto r.y.
Finnish Beekeepers' Association
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www.hunaja.net

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