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Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology

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Subject:
From:
Bob Harrison <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Tue, 29 Nov 2005 21:37:23 -0600
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Hello Michael & All,

>I am assuming you are inserting a cell into the top combs of the colony,
and there it acts like a supercedure cell.
No
 >second method...you are removing the old queen, and giving a cell?
No
> but how do you not lose a single day of queen not laying with this
scenario?

You leave the old queen laying while the new queen flies and mates.

>I could see this if you separated the broodnest with a solid inner cover,
left the old queen below, and requeened the top chamber with a cell.

This is textbook but not my method. I leave the old queen up. cell down.
Different mix of comb than textbook.

>The two units are united at a later date, after removing the old queen.

Why remove the old queen? In the New Zealand study 95% of the young queens
survived in the first study and 92% in the second.

>You mention your procedure being similar to a two queen system.

My system was found by doing the opposite of what our researchers advised.
When the New Zealand research came along in the 70's I realized they were
doing the same thing.

Lets see:
The textbooks say bees move upward (but in the feral hive they move down).
Tests run by me found 50% went both up and down.
In fact in one bunch of tests I ran 65% went down!

>By dividing the colony as I state above,

Your method is textbook. What most commercial beekeepers use doing cells. In
all the books. Mine is the exactly opposite order cell down. old queen up.
Plus a few secrets learned from experience along the way. You are a smart
beekeeper Michael  as is the other beekeeper which asked. You will have no
trouble figuring out my system.

Most commercial beekeepers using cells do as Michael said (mainly because
that's what some researcher has said to do).

>which almost always will accept a caged queen....90 some %.

About the same percent as with cells (if you candle your cells).

Labor has always been the big cost factor in beekeeping. Being able to work
fast through production hives gives me extra time to spend with the research
hives which can take the whole day.

The successful beekeeper is always thinking about the bees in his care. Once
the beekeeper gets sidetracked for whatever reason and forgets his bees for
a period of time then is when your troubles begin.

My advise many times to commercial beekeepers is not to get so involved with
extracting honey, bottling or pollination contracts you forget about the
rest of your hives. The hives are your bread and butter. They come first to
be successful. Strong healthy hives come first. The rest comes second!

Careful planning and timing are the keys to beekeeping success and
procrastination has ended the commercial beekeeping business of many.

>How do you candle cells?

In the dark with a bright light right before hatching. I actually have got a
box with a small hole with the light inside. If the head does not bob then
the queen cell hits the trash can. I raised exotic birds for years  and
became very adapt at candling eggs. My incubator cycles at two tenths of a
degree of heat and when not used for queen rearing can hatch the most exotic
fowl eggs there are.

Bob

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