Native or local?

[The Drone Ranger]

Hi Bumble

One way is to use something like a Snelgrove board (sorry to mention this again)
You have a two queen hive then and you have options about which queen you keep
You can select the best behaved thats what I try and do
One good thing you will never be in any danger of inbreeding

[gavin]

It has come round to that time of year when folk are polishing their Snelgrove boards for the season ahead! I was speaking to one Snelgrove enthusiast on Tuesday. We have one in the association shed but it has never been used. Maybe I'll encourage the deputy apiary manager to have a go.

The Cloake board is the one I'm hoping to try this year, useful for queen raising. Sorry, wandering off topic.

Nice to see you posting DR.

[The Drone Ranger]

Hi Gavin
I have been making a few to replace the warped ones
Plywood is a pain like that
Did you get your isolated site set up for the breeding ?

[Feckless Drone]

You know spring is here when DR posts, and isn't that good.
For bumble - Trying to compete against 100+ (guestimate) drone producers near your lovely young queens is going to be a tall order. I cannot envisage a single keeper making inroads in that environment.

[gavin]

Yes, about to enter year two now. Not only that, I'm no longer gainfully employed and starting to follow Jon into the bee (and honey) raising cottage industry.

[fatshark]

Did you get your isolated site set up for the breeding ?

Context is everything …

And whilst we're on boards, I built and used a Horsley board last year and was quite please with the outcome. Fewer doors to open than the Snelgrove so less for me to forget

[Bumble]

The rest of the household don't like the idea of moving to an island, not even for the sake of our bees. They just don't have the right priorities!

We have a local queen rearing group, they're happy enough with the local bees they raise.

I suppose I just don't want to waste resources, and waste a good queen. I know one queen isn't going to make any real difference to the local gene pool but it would be a start, wouldn't it?

Looks as if I'm talking myself into it, again, but in a week's time I'll probably have a perfectly good reason not to go ahead.

My vote, by the way, is with the Horsley board.

[The Drone Ranger]

Hi Bumble
I have a Horsley board from years back but I've never used it
If you bought a queen you can convince yourself it is no better than what you have (or maybe it is)
The daughters will probably be more like the local drone pool after a couple of years
How good are the local queen rearing group ? it might be worth joining them

[Bumble]

If you bought a queen you can convince yourself it is no better than what you have (or maybe it is)
The daughters will probably be more like the local drone pool after a couple of years

All true.

How good are the local queen rearing group ? it might be worth joining them

I've been tempted to join but can't really commit the time just now and it wouldn't be fair to turn up only when I can, rather than when I should. At the moment I'm happy enough to watch, and listen, from the sidelines and from their reports.