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Author Topic: Can't buy Ligurian Queen before October  (Read 3838 times)

Offline omnimirage

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Can't buy Ligurian Queen before October
« on: June 30, 2018, 05:36:56 am »
I've contacted five queen bee breeders who sell Ligurians and not one of them is able to provide a queen before October. I want some queens to create new hives at the beginning of Spring, but for some reason I can't buy any.

One of the breeders mentioned it was due to weather conditions. Is this normal at all? Can any of you guys buy a queen for Spring?

Offline Skeggley

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Re: Can't buy Ligurian Queen before October
« Reply #1 on: June 30, 2018, 07:32:00 pm »
Pretty standard id say. Here in the west queens are generally available Dec to May. As colony build up doesnt start until spring it stands to reason breeders wouldnt start until spring and the commercials would get the first batches.
Last couple of years nucs needed to be ordered over a year in advance! Probably different over there as you can probably import queens from other states where as we're confined to a few instate breeders.
Due to the rising cost of queens im happy to let them make their own anyway.

Offline beepro

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Re: Can't buy Ligurian Queen before October
« Reply #2 on: July 01, 2018, 04:38:11 am »
You can try other out of area breeders to see if they are available.   Maybe go out of
state too to find some.   Don't restrict your queens hunting to only a region. 

Offline omnimirage

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Re: Can't buy Ligurian Queen before October
« Reply #3 on: July 01, 2018, 05:25:37 am »
I've contacted everyone selling ligurians in my country, so people from five different states.

I want queens to split my hives before Spring starts, so that my bees don't swarm as they've already been split, but it appears instead of buying queens, I'm going to need to just make splits from my own stock, which is unfortunate as I've got Dark European Honeybees and I want Ligurians.

Offline beepro

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Re: Can't buy Ligurian Queen before October
« Reply #4 on: July 02, 2018, 07:41:24 pm »
Then have you try the out of country breeder queens yet?  Maybe you can do some more research to
find a nearby country that has them.   Don't give up until you have exhausted all your options.   

If you live close by I would give you some to try too.  The Cordovan queens (Italians) are excellent bees I'm propagating this
summer.

Offline eltalia

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Re: Can't buy Ligurian Queen before October
« Reply #5 on: July 02, 2018, 07:58:11 pm »
Reputable breeders shut down in April... maybe March in your State.
Here it is shut  in September and begins in March.
Get into breeding and methods and you will understand why, and why
I have never considered taking it on. I restrict myself to a stud of another
FAMILY altogether so I do have an appreciation of what is required to
maintain pedigree.

Bill

Offline Bamboo

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Re: Can't buy Ligurian Queen before October
« Reply #6 on: July 03, 2018, 09:42:30 am »
Reputable breeders shut down in April... maybe March in your State.
Here it is shut  in September and begins in March.
Get into breeding and methods and you will understand why, and why
I have never considered taking it on. I restrict myself to a stud of another
FAMILY altogether so I do have an appreciation of what is required to
maintain pedigree.

Bill
But do we really need "stud" bees? Aren't the "mutts" the ones that on the whole produce decent amounts of honey, are reasonably good natured etc?

I too have experienced "stud" animals and eventually we just breed a bucket load of problems. We weaken the strain by breeding for traits that "we as man" wants rather than as the breed is naturally. Mind you the vets love em. :cheesy:

Offline eltalia

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Re: Can't buy Ligurian Queen before October
« Reply #7 on: July 04, 2018, 06:10:36 am »
I restrict myself to a stud of another FAMILY altogether so I do have an appreciation
of what is required to maintain pedigree.

Bill
But do we really need "stud" bees? Aren't the "mutts" the ones that on the whole produce decent amounts
of honey, are reasonably good natured etc?

I too have experienced "stud" animals and eventually we just breed a bucket load of problems. We weaken
the strain by breeding for traits that "we as man" wants rather than as the breed is naturally.
Mind you the vets love em. :cheesy:

I stuffed up Mark, in using "pedigree" over the actuality (line or
lineage), so yeah your reference to vets in RangeRovers is well justified!
:cheesy:  :cheesy:
Last time I looked we had Alsatians (Shepards) with their butt pretty well dragging on the
ground through pedigree selection, likewise for Cavelliers!
Buuuut... back to bees?
In playing the devil's advocate I put to you where we b'keeps 'breed' from our local "mutts" 
are we then not doing much the same thing as those who breed to pedigree  in regressing
those genes we started the program with?

I do limit the 'question' to those raising queens for purpose in their own yards... not those who
produce an occasional emergency queen nor those recognised breeders I refer to in my OP.

Bill