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Thread: The Rose method of queen rearing

  1. #71
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jon View Post
    Its just the very small ones which seem to have difficulties. Some smallish queens can be very good. The proof of the pudding is in the brood pattern and the size of the brood nest.
    I am more interested in the size of the colony than the size of the nest. I, like Jon, like to see a good brood pattern though.

  2. #72
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jon View Post
    I think the key word there is hybrid. A queenless colony from decent stock should not give you any bother at all.
    I agree with that Jon. In fact I often think that part of the selection criteria for choosing a donor colony should be to test their reaction to the queen being removed.

  3. #73
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    I will confess at the outset that many of these "techniques" leave me cold.

    However what ever works for you is best.

    What works for me is this: I put queen excluders between double brood boxes to "find the queen" then shake several frames of bees from the queenless bb, into a five frame brood box. Thus I am sure the bees are queen free.

    I want the box stuffed with bees. I give a stores frame, (NO BROOD) a pollen frame (NO BROOD) a frame feeder of light syrup, pound a pint, and a gap and a dummy frame. Grafts into the middle gap. Worst result 0 being honest.

    Best result, after 10 days of very poor takes,,,, and of course fresh bees... 32 from 36. The weather changed for the better.....

    Do what works for you.

    PH

  4. #74
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    What are you stats? How many mated queens are you rearing per year over the past few years using this method?

  5. #75
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    About 30 last year jon. Been doing it that way since I took over Craibstone which was 1989 I think it was and Bernard taught me it. If when I lift the CB there is not a "beard" of bees hanging in the gap they are not strong enough so out with the sprayer and shake in some more.

    PH

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