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Author Topic: Wanted: Queens  (Read 3393 times)

Offline Angi_H

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Wanted: Queens
« on: May 30, 2008, 03:44:18 am »
I am in need of 4 queens for splits. A few of my hives are bursting at the seems and I despertly need to split them. Do any of you have any or know any one who does. Like Fat Bee Man does he sell queens? Anyway please get back to me and let me know.


Angi

Offline Cindi

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Re: Wanted: Queens
« Reply #1 on: May 30, 2008, 10:34:29 am »
I am in need of 4 queens for splits. A few of my hives are bursting at the seems and I despertly need to split them. Do any of you have any or know any one who does. Like Fat Bee Man does he sell queens? Anyway please get back to me and let me know.
Angi

Angi, I have a couple of comments.  Before you make any splits, stop for a moment and think about how bees build up.  I don't have time to check through your posts to see when you got your bees, I remember that you did cut-outs, and maybe got a couple of package bees.

Remember that bees only live for about 45 days (about 800 km worth of flying time).  You may find that yes your bees look like they are bursting out at the seams and they probably are.  But many, many of those bees will be dying of old age (worn out from foraging).

You may be able to get away with adding supers instead of splitting.

I am saying this because I have concern that you may wind up with some very weak colonies if you do splits right now.

I know that you usually go on the forum after the kids are in bed, you have a busy life during the day.  Wait.....get some more responses about how to deal with these colonies before you order queens.  There will be others that are far more experienced than I am that may provide you with some very good answers.

Personally, I would not do any splits yet.  I think that your colonies that you have will have large amounts of bees dying off, the young ones replacing these.  If your intention is to get any honey this year, I think that you should try for big colonies of bees, not a whack of small ones.  Wait for responses before you order queens, just my two cents.  Have that most beautiful and wonderful day, lovin' this life we live.  Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline Angi_H

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Re: Wanted: Queens
« Reply #2 on: June 03, 2008, 02:50:56 am »
The ones that I need to do splits on are cutout ones that had 3 med supers full of brood cut out in the first place. The others are fine. It is those that are bursting at the seams. I have 2 nucs going from those now since I did not get any answers to any of the forums. I gave them queen cells from one of the hives that lost there queen they had abut 10 cells all over the place. Those are now building up nicely. If that one hive had not made so many queens and capped them I was also needing one queen for it. Those all have now hatched and I have seen all 3 queens. There are still drones all over the place so I am hoping they breed well. They have feeders on as we have had some weard weather. But the sunflowers, squash, melons, onions and garlic are all in full bloom. Not to mention the tomatoes and they are going nuts. They are full of pollen and necter. The alfalfa from the 5 closest fields with in 2 miles from us have bloomed many many times now and are on a cutting. The hive that was queenless ate down there stores of necter some so they have some syrup again. And they are taking it as well as the Nuks. I was looking for queens on the advice of my friend who has had bees for 30 years and he is the one who had said I would need to do splits and get a few queens. BUt now if these girls breed right they will be fine.

Angi

Offline Cindi

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Re: Wanted: Queens
« Reply #3 on: June 03, 2008, 10:31:26 am »
Angi, well good, sounds like things are doing just fine over at your place, yeah!!!  Beautiful and most wonderful day, this is a great life.  Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service