Hello all, my husband and I find ourselves in need of a new queen and I'm wondering if any of you could recommend good breeders, places to buy a queen
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it being about 2 weeks since the split and the swarm, plenty of time for a queens to have hatched, mated and be laying eggs.
I was just asking an "senior" beek about this, I have two queenless hives (both have supercedure cells with royal jelly). The queen emerges in 14 days, but she needs about a week to develop her wings and go on a mating flight, so you won't see eggs for about 21 days. You may want to give this queen a little longer before introducing a new queen.
Where are you located? Do you have a local beekeeping club? they can probably direct you to a(another) local beekeeper who has queens.
I'm in Colorado and no, there is no possibility of a queen in Hive Alpha, there are no queen cells at all, nothing but a bunch of angry bees and a bit of honey.
I've had three responses from my beeclub in the area...all of the to call "the guy" who's out of town. *headdesk*
...do you know when he'll be back in town...whoever you are?
Or do you know what company John gets his bees from in California each year?
We don't have enough frames of brood, I don't think, in Hive Beta to move one of them. We moved 5 frames that had some brood and the queen cells, plus some more bees brushed in, plus a mini swarm from Hive Alpha, but they've only started drawing out comb on two more frames so far and the brood was very patchy. So I don't wanna robber from them, just starting out, to try to get a queen in Alpha.
I didn't know he was out of town. Have you phoned him? He can be troublesome to reach.
I don't think the guy in California ever shipped, John used to bring a truckload. He told me last year that most of that guy's apiary had burned in the wildfire and that he, the California supplier, was out of business until he could build up again.
Yeah, I'm sure John is busy as (insert bee pun here) and we've called, left message, paged and emailed. LOL
Yup, I'm using regular langstroths. I did talk to a queen breeder in Virginia today who will have some queens, maybe, next week, but that was the 6th of 7 calls, and the only one who doesn't have a 2-4 week waiting list.
...I might be just having to move brood from Beta anyway!
I've not known him to answer his email, but if his wife isn't answering the phone I guess he's not about.
I could probably give you a frame of eggs, depending on when you're about and the weather, but if Beta is very weak it might be wiser just to merge them back together again and make a split later in the season, or next spring.
I was just asking an "senior" beek about this, I have two queenless hives (both have supercedure cells with royal jelly). The queen emerges in 14 days, but she needs about a week to develop her wings and go on a mating flight, so you won't see eggs for about 21 days. You may want to give this queen a little longer before introducing a new queen.
Where are you located?
Do you have a local beekeeping club? they can probably direct you to a(another) local beekeeper who has queens.
Reply
I've had three responses from my beeclub in the area...all of the to call "the guy" who's out of town. *headdesk*
Reply
Reply
...do you know when he'll be back in town...whoever you are?
Or do you know what company John gets his bees from in California each year?
We don't have enough frames of brood, I don't think, in Hive Beta to move one of them. We moved 5 frames that had some brood and the queen cells, plus some more bees brushed in, plus a mini swarm from Hive Alpha, but they've only started drawing out comb on two more frames so far and the brood was very patchy. So I don't wanna robber from them, just starting out, to try to get a queen in Alpha.
I needs a queen!
Reply
I don't think the guy in California ever shipped, John used to bring a truckload. He told me last year that most of that guy's apiary had burned in the wildfire and that he, the California supplier, was out of business until he could build up again.
You using ordinary langstroths?
Reply
Yup, I'm using regular langstroths. I did talk to a queen breeder in Virginia today who will have some queens, maybe, next week, but that was the 6th of 7 calls, and the only one who doesn't have a 2-4 week waiting list.
...I might be just having to move brood from Beta anyway!
Reply
I could probably give you a frame of eggs, depending on when you're about and the weather, but if Beta is very weak it might be wiser just to merge them back together again and make a split later in the season, or next spring.
Reply
Reply
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