Queens Rearing

A talk by Mike Hunt of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire

Date: Thursday 1 April 1999

Venue: Church Rooms, Stow on the Wold

Why raise Queens ?

· To select …..

· To replace poor Queens

· To replace lost Queens

What should we select for in our bees ?

· Honey production

· Good wintering

· Quiet on the comb

· Disease resistant

· Good comb builders

· Gentleness

· Non / low propolis producers. Of course many people think propolis is wonderful health promoting stuff !

· Non-followers i.e. Bees do not follow you as you leave the apiary

· Non-swarming

· Bees that fly at lower temperatures

· Economical brood rearing when income is low or stopped

At any time, it is only likely that Queen Rearing will achieve 3 or 4 of the items on this list.

Introduction to Method

The object of this system of Queen Rearing is that it enables the beekeeper to maintain their honey crop and to drop into Queen Rearing at any time and as often as you want to during the season. Use a colony which you know, from experience in previous years, to have a tendency to swarm. i.e. It has a strong urge to produce large numbers of Queen cells. Their natural genetic tendency therefore supports the programme of Queen Rearing.

The Method

1. Setting it up

In early spring (April), transfer a single strong brood colony into a double brood with only six frames in each brood box. If you are using a colony which is very prolific as your cell builder, you may require seven frames up and down and remove two or three frames a week. Judge this on site and with knowledge of your colonies.

2. Dimensions of a Box Frame (for a National Hive)

3. Moving frames within the colony

Every 7 days throughout the season, transfer 2 or 3 sealed brood or well developed larvae frames from the bottom to the top and 2 or 3 empty brood frames to the bottom. It is not a problem if they are filled with honey. The bees will soon move it. Before moving the frames up from the bottom to the top, always find the Queen to ensure she stays in the bottom.

Timetables and Function

The first date given (-24 days) is the last date to place drone comb or foundation. Ideally a month before is best to ensure the sexual maturity of the drones.

Days	Function
-24	To aid selected drones, place drone comb or foundation in one or two selected colonies other than the colony donating the eggs (and feed if there is no flow).
-08	The last rotation in the cell building colony.
-08	Place prepared Jenter or Cupkit Frame into the selected colony which is to donate the eggs. Locate on the outside flanks to obtain hive smell.
-04	Find the Queen and imprison her in the Jenter or Cupkit Box in the prepared frame and replace the frame in the position you found the queen within the hive.
-03	Release the Queen from the Jenter or Cupkit Box and return frame.
-01	Divide the cell building colony into two, leaving the brood box which is queenless on a new floor on the original site. This is necessary in the event that the Queen has dropped onto the floor. Leave a space in the middle of any of the brood frames to receive the frame of larvae, then assemble with any Supers which were on it. Place the Queen brood box on top of the roof with it’s own roof or nearby facing in the same direction.
Zero	Transfer larvae to cell builder.
+01/+02	Unite the two colonies with the Queen at the bottom and a Queen Excluder between the two boxes.
+09	Arrival of nucs in apiary without drones.
+10	Cage Queen Cells or transfer to nucs.