Several comments have been posted relating to the study on Queen introduction and rates of success
as undertaken in Australia.

Taken simply (!), it seems that the age of the Queens at time of introduction plays a role in the
success of the introduction.

It has been suggested that the ideal moment for queen introduction is at the age of 28 days.

Presuming both Queen breeders and Beekeepers are wishing to increase the overall % introduction
success rate, would it not be logical for the Breeders to do the following.

When sending out queens; indicate on the package (or what ever is used) the date of birth of the
contained queens.

Beekeepers would then, where possible, be able to introduce the queen on her "28th" day.

With follow-up, successful or not, could be noted with feedback to the Breeders
.
If the age is a factor, then Beekeepers will be happy, whilst breeders having one less reason for
being blamed about low % of Queen takes.

It would take some organisation, and not everybody would respond - but after a short period of time,
indications of whether the age is a factor in success would become apparent.

Comments?

Peter

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