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Thread: Native or local?

  1. #11

    Default spring is sprung

    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.

  2. #12
    Administrator gavin's Avatar
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    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.

  3. #13
    Senior Member fatshark's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by The Drone Ranger View Post
    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

  4. #14
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    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.

  5. #15

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    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

  6. #16

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    Just found out this weekend tjat a beekeeper within a mile of my out apiary has ordered 20 buckfast queens... time to make that my quarantine apiary!

  7. #17
    Senior Member busybeephilip's Avatar
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    Its hard to find good sites esp for what you want to do and there is a lot more interest in bees in NI now. You'll probably find that heading towards ards coast or peninsula might be your best bet or the site you mentioned to me near downpatrick and even there you might have problems

  8. #18

    Default

    It is the nature of the beast unfortunately!

  9. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by The Drone Ranger View Post
    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.

  10. #20

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    Hi Bumble
    You won't need to join usually they will be over the moon to just sell you a queen because you are working with them all be it passively
    They might have nothing to sell you in which case they only have themselves to blame if you go elsewhere but it's nice to check first I suppose

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