Queen

Joe Brennan

Can any kind person recommend where I could purchase a mated Queen preferably native black. I have tried two well know breeder but to no avail

brianmc

Joe Brennan wrote: »

Can any kind person recommend where I could purchase a mated Queen preferably native black. I have tried two well know breeder but to no avail

Tricky! Good luck with your search!

Have you enough colonies to consider just using the bees and brood to boost other colonies for the winter?

Joe Brennan

T Y for the reply, it is my first year and only have 1 hive & do not know what happened to the Queen. there were queen cells in the brood & they have hatched but new eggs or lava. Things might change for the better this week.

brianmc

Joe Brennan wrote: »

T Y for the reply, it is my first year and only have 1 hive & do not know what happened to the Queen. there were queen cells in the brood & they have hatched but new eggs or lava. Things might change for the better this week.

Oh dear.

When were the queen cells there? When would they have been due to emerge?

Joe Brennan

They would have emerged 7/8 days ago approx. I still live & hope that things will come right in 2-3 days. They are still bringing in pollen & they are not as bad tempered now as they were when the original went missing. Fingers crossed.
& Ty for your concern

brianmc

Joe Brennan wrote: »

They would have emerged 7/8 days ago approx. I still live & hope that things will come right in 2-3 days. They are still bringing in pollen & they are not as bad tempered now as they were when the original went missing. Fingers crossed.
& Ty for your concern

If they only emerged 7 or 8 days ago, you're not going to see any eggs from them for at least another week or two. I wouldn't place a lot of hope in them getting properly mated at this time of year either. Most (all?) of the drones have been killed off in preparation for the winter.

Most people with queens probably have them set up in a nuc for overwintering at this stage too. Your best chance might be to buy a nuc and boost it with your bees. You'd have to find and remove your new queen before the merge.

That said, if one were to be calculating about it, you would have to ask if the older bees in your hive are worth all the effort of adding them to a bought in nuc. If you wait until spring you could start again with a nuc that someone else has brought through the winter, no risk for you.

Of course, if you do find a queen from someone... happy days!

giraffegoat

Hi Joe,

Read about your queen problem. I breed Natives for my own operation here in Wexford, whilst queen rearing did not go to well this year, I should be able to spare one in an effort to help you out. Contact me off line my telephone number and details will be on FIBKA website under South Wexford BKA Treasurer

Native Honey Bee

giraffegoat wrote: »

Hi Joe,

Read about your queen problem. I breed Natives for my own operation here in Wexford, whilst queen rearing did not go to well this year, I should be able to spare one in an effort to help you out. Contact me off line my telephone number and details will be on FIBKA website under South Wexford BKA Treasurer

It is reassuring to see beekeepers helping each other. The negative comments in so many forums as beekeepers strive to upstage each other and to reassure themselves, can leave one disillusioned.

SC Kevin

Native Honey Bee wrote: »

It is reassuring to see beekeepers helping each other. The negative comments in so many forums as beekeepers strive to upstage each other and to reassure themselves, can leave one disillusioned.

I agree, some beekeepers are great to help out. I remember a certain person on another forum was looking for a Queen, i told them id check at the weekend (a few days time) and he replied that he needed one NOW and for me to "get a life"

So i told him where to go! :P

I wouldnt mind, but i was gonna give him one for nothing, i had plenty at the time and i had another 10 QC's in the incubator, ah well, was his lost

I should also say, he started PM'ing me and threatening me to give him a Queen or he would come to my door, report me to FIBKA, the Guards etc, i mean i only called him a pr**k! haha

Crazy fella!


Hope you got sorted as well Joe, if i had any spare myself, i would have given ya one

Joe Brennan

Thank you kevin
that chap must have been a mental case.
& it looks like I am in business she started lying not a lot but they appear to be very happy with her.
regards
Joe

SC Kevin

Joe Brennan wrote: »

Thank you kevin
that chap must have been a mental case.
& it looks like I am in business she started lying not a lot but they appear to be very happy with her.
regards
Joe

Nutter id say! but i did hear that he got a nuc early on in the year, killed the Queen, they raised another and he killed her by accident as well, so maybe he was just pissed off!

Anyway, delighted to hear ur new Queen is laying away, hopefully now she will build up enough to survive the winter and u will be good to go for next year!

Joe Brennan

thanks Kevin