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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:
Fri, 25 Nov 2005 21:29:59 -0600
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>I don't think I know anybody who buys queens
and packages

In the U.S. the queen & package business is big business! The Wilbanks
operation is featured in the November issue of Bee Culture and is not the
largest.

Quote from pg. 30 of the November 2005 issue:
"Wilbanks Apiaries operate approx. 6000 hives for the production of package
bees, which results in 15,000 to 20,000 packages a year. They produce over
60,000 queens for shipment worldwide."

I would guess from the number of queen advertisements that there are around
20+ queen & packages producers in the U.S.. I do not know what the total
production of queens & packages for a year might be.

Most commercial beekeepers raise their own queens/cells or buy cells.

Buy packages if they have serious losses . Buy packages in the far north
where they depopulate hives.

The northern tier beekeepers buy early queens before they can raise their
own queens many times because of poor mating weather and the lack of mature
drones (myself included).

I am not sure how many of the above Wilbanks customers are hobby, sideline
or commercial buyers.

Bob

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