Norfolk Honey - why queen breeding for beginners is required
Why bother to breed your own queens?
The importance of being self sufficient in new queens
As more and more beekeepers approach me to buy bees it is becoming plain that the style of beekeeping that has been practiced in this country by non-professional beekeepers has to change. And change fast in one vital respect. Queen breeding. If queen breeding does not form a part of the beginners practical bee keeping course then this is leaving a critical gap in their knowledge.
It is becoming apparent that our queens are not living as long as they used to. Maybe the treatment for Varroa takes it's toll on the productive life expectancy of laying queens. Maybe there is some other reason why they are no longer living productively for four, five, six, or even seven years as they may have done in the past.
Whatever the reason our queens are running out of steam after two or three years and there is now the urgent need for even small scale beekeepers to be raising their own queens every season as a matter of standard procedure.
Raising your own queen bees is not difficult and as the supply of nucs is getting outstripped by the number of new (and returning beekeepers) looking to buy them it is becoming important that all beekeepers, including new beekeepers, get stuck in and start breeding queens. I would even go as far as to say that as a new beekeeper you need to address queen breeding before you even start thinking of taking honey from your bees.
The idea of having a hive or two in the garden that you take honey from year after year without too much interference has to change. You need to be in the position to take three or four strong hives into the winter each year in order that any losses you suffer can be coped with.
Queen breeding can easily be done very successfully using very little more
kit than you already have.
If
you are interested in reading more and having an easy to follow guide with timely email advice on exactly how you can raise
new queens then this is the course for you.
For more details on Breeding Queen Bees in an easy and straightforward
fashion simply
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