Invariably, to increase the number and thwart
>swarming, I do walk-away splits as early in the spring as possible,
>thinking this way I can maintain the local gene pool,

walk-away splits. Unless you are in the area of other beekeepers which run
different genetics than you do I can tell you what you will end up with
after a few years.

To sum what has been said up it seems the answer to all our problems lies in
feral swarms (which may have even came from our own hives originally).
Certainly (regardless of what the feral swarm catchers say) they come from
unknown genetics. Toss out the instrumental insemination device , Glenn
apiaries II breeder queens and ALL commercial queen stock and do walk-away
splits from unknown genetics. Am I misunderstanding you guys or got things
about right?

At times I tend to find fault with a queen producers queens but certainly
they have always done better than the ferals I catch and the hives of
walk-away splits I have seen. I am sure there are exceptions to the rule but
for the most part swarms are old queens of unknown origin. Walk-away splits
tend to be swarmy & aggressive before long. Many queens made with too old
larva.

bob



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