>years ago I started to evaluate the queens that I was getting.I would try>
> QUEEN AND COLONY BEHAVIOR
>
> 1. Colony "noise" or sent fanning within the hive.
> 2. Queen loss.
> 3. Was queen lost within three to five weeks after introduction?
> 4. Are bees , moving slowly, or "runing" off the brood to the edges
>of the frames.
> 5. Bees paying little attention to the queen, the queen seen by
>herself on the comb.
> 6.Spotty brood patterns.
> 7. Slightly bullet shaped worker brood cell caps.
> 8. Very slow buildup.
> 9. Bees do not cluster properly, in temperstures below 55 F.
> 10. Bee temperment. Mild____ .Aggressive______..
> Has anyone noticed a queen problem with supersedure or bees making more
>noise than normal.
It seems to me that you have problems with your breeders!!!
No: 1 Somtimes caused by a badly mated Queen or the Queen absent.
No: 2, 3, Superscedure is usually caused by something the bees
detect,
Ovaries damaged by Nosema, poor mating, Under
fed by weak
cell builders producing weak Queens.
No: 4 Poorly selected stock, this Queen should not be a breeder Queen.
No: 5 Caused by low or missing Queen pheromones (see No:4)
No:6,7. Poor diversity ie.close relation mating.
No. 8 Weak Queen, poor stock.
No: 9 Bees bred in Southern climate will not do well in colder areas.
Regretfully the drive for profit produces an evil master!!
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* David J. Eyre CEO 9, Progress Drive, Unit 2, *
* The Beeworks Orillia, Ont, Canada, L3V 6H1 *
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* http.//www.muskoka.net/~beeworks *
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