On Nov 26, 2005, at 5:07 PM, Mike Stoops wrote:

>>
>>
> One consideration concerning buying queens instead of
> cells is that introduced queens, if accepted, start
> laying within a day or two of release, hopefully
> prolifically.  With cells you have to wait for the day
> or two or three before they emerge.  Then there is the
> three to hopefully less than seven day wait for them
> to fly and mate, and then the time it takes for them
> to start laying.  Time between cell purchase and
> having a laying queen, four days to ten?  At
> approximately 1000 up to 2000 eggs a day that would
> add up to anywhere between 2000 to 16,000 workers the
> caged queen would have on the cell queen.  Hive is
> stronger, faster, with the caged queen.  Course, my
> math could be wrong but it's approximate.

Hi Mike and all

I have used queen cells exclusively for several years.  I purchase
them from a local producer who has written about his breeding program
in ABJ.  I see the delay in brood( I figure 15 days) as a positive.
15 days without brood is 15 days without varroa( see thread on caging
queens for varroa control).  There are several disadvantages to using
queen cells(weather being #1), but when weather cooperates I have had
late May splits with 2 frames of brood and a queen cell  produce 200+
lbs (highest in last 5 years 347 lbs).  2005 was a poor year for my
splits as late June and early July were hot(30C+) and dry.  The
plants matured before my splits were strong enough.  Goldenrod flow
was good.

Bob Darrell
Caledon Ontario
Canada
80W44N
>

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