On Feb 25,  3:32pm, Palm, Kevin R. (LLP) wrote:
> Subject: Buckfast Queens (Was: Queen killed by Field Bee force
> Folks,
>
> If I can add my $0.02, I also ordered two Buckfast queens when I made a
> split and requeened my Yugo colony last year, one from B. Weaver, and
> one from R. Weaver.  Both of them did really well, the queen from B.
> Weaver helping me get over 100 pounds of honey from her hive.  I had no
> problems at all with introducing them.  Maybe I just got lucky, or maybe
> a few people just got unlucky.  I don't know.
>
> Kevin Palm
> Grafton, Ohio
>  ----------
 
 
Hi Everyone,
 
I too ordered six new queens from B. Weaver and requeened last summer.  I got
three Buckfasts and three "All Americans" (Italians) all of which were accepted
and produced well.  The Buckfasts seemed to be willing to fly in colder weather
and made more honey than the others.  I was very satisfied and will order from
them again.
 
I had to replace these six queens in July due to poor laying patterns exhibited
by queens with package bees from a California supplier.  The old queens were
all very small; not much larger than a worker bee; half of them just
disappeared and the others left about every other cell empty.
 
To introduce the new ones, I suspended the cages between frames in the top deep
box (I use two per colony) with the candy still in.  The bees removed the old
queen themselves and released the new one later in all cases.
 
Kris Bruland
Member of Mt. Baker Beekeepers Association
Bellingham, WA  U.S.A.