> >This research has supposedly changed queen breeders practices in
> Australia.
> https://rirdc.infoservices.com.au/downloads/03-049

First up I would disagree with Geoff that it actually did change queen breeders practices in Australia.  I did not change at the time as the study was flawed and did not reflect what I was seeing in my own operation at the time and I know of other queen breeders who did not change either.  Some who were already catching at 21 days then advertised that they were catching in line with the research but they did not actually change what they were doing.

Re Randy's comments, I questioned at the time why they were catching at 7 days.  Waste of time as we knew what the results would be.

The main difference of this study and my own operations at the time was in the queens caught at 14 days.   In this trail the queens were caught at 14 days whether they were laying or not.  Certainly not my practice at the time.  If they were not laying at 14 days then I left them, marked the nuc by putting the plastic queen cell cup on its side and then checked next time (14 days later).  If the brood pattern was satisfactory it was caught then.  If not, she received the thumb and forefinger treatment.

When I requeened my own hives, I marked the queens so I could check on performance for use as possible drone contributors in the next season's AI.  So when I came to requeening, I knew, by the marking, that it was the queen I had put in.  My results were not as reflected in this study.  My survival rate 11 - 12 months later was well over 80%.  This is much greater than the 15 weeks survival rate in the trial for 14 day old queens.   The differences in the trial and my operations was that they did not travel through the post.  However some of my requeening took place a week after catching so the queens remained in their cages from the time of catching to introduction.

So why the differences?  No one really knows.  If the queens I supplied over a 24 year period where performing as per the trial then I am sure I would not have had the continued sales of queen bees that I had.  I did not advertise as I had more than enough sales by word of mouth.  We all know what the beekeeper grapevine can be like if something is not satisfactory.

Trevor Weatherhead
Australia

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