Queen Rearing as a Group Activity
Norman C Walsh, MBE, BAgr, NDipSc (Apic)
This article is based on a lecture given at Stoneleigh on 19 April 2008
IN MANY beekeeping associations the number of
members raising queens from selected stock is low. In
the Dromore Association in Northern Ireland less than
10% did so. Many members relied on swarms and on
splitting stocks, especially swarmed stocks. Those who
established nuclei tended to add swarm cells to them.
This is effectively selecting for bees with a strong
swarming impulse and does nothing to conserve
desirable characteristics.
Since the ban on imports of queens into Northern Ireland
was lifted a few years ago, importing queens from Europe
and beyond has become a feature of Northern Ireland
beekeeping. Some enterprising beekeepers are establishing s
mnuclei in April or May, adding imported queens and selling m
iS
them on, as the demand for nuclei is high. These imported seL
queens produce large quantities of docile bees and, in an The crownboard of the larval transport box has holes cut
excellent season, plentiful honey. The next generation, into it which take the queen cell cups and caps. The
however, is usually far from docile and the foreign drones mate plywood cover provides stability and the expanded
with the local virgin queens causing problems for every polystyrene block provides insulation
beekeeper in the area. In bad seasons local bees tend to be
more thrifty and healthy and, if selected for docility, are best as a source of ripe queen cells!
suited for Irish conditions, as the Galtee Bee Breeding Group
has found. In June 2006 the committee decided not to continue
providing ripe queen cells and instead to demonstrate onlyPersuading beekeepers to select and rear queens is difficult
the transplanting of larvae. This gave time for members tofor two reasons: firstly, most Northern Ireland beekeepers
have ‘hands on’ experience. We felt that the Cup-Kit system have fewer than six colonies and do not want all the
was too expensive for beekeepers with fewer than sixtrouble and expense and, secondly, there is so much
colonies and that comprised the majority of members. Towritten and spoken about the many methods of queen
rearing that it appears overly complicated. Very few deliver day-old larvae to members’ apiaries necessitated
beekeepers start queen rearing as a result of reading an two separate exercises:
article or after a talk at their association. u finding a way to transport larvae over, at times, long
MAKING A START distances
u instruction on the setting up of a cell-raising colony.Five years ago the Dromore Association, having failed to
stimulate action with talks, decided to demonstrate one TRANSPORT BOX FOR THE LARVAE
technique. It used the Cup-Kit system and for the apiary
demonstration had colonies at the two important stages: This is the responsibility of those organising the
ripe queen cells and one-day-old larvae. Members were told demonstration on behalf of the association. The box was
that, if they ordered a ripe queen cell and brought along a developed in Derbyshire by Albert Knight of the Bee
mini-nuc containing nurse bees to the demonstration, they Improvement and Bee Breeders' Association (BIBBA) so that
would get a ripe queen cell to introduce to the mini-nuc, groups of experienced beekeepers could come to his
which they could then take home where the queen would association apiary and collect day-old larvae of a superior
emerge and be mated. This event provided the opportunity strain and take them home to improve their stock.
to demonstrate the procedure for moving day-old larvae into The box construction is simple. It can be a five-frame
the cell-raising colony and to teach Cup-Kit and nucleus box with the following modifications:
mini-nucleus management. The event was popular with
members as an educational exercise, but more especially u a mesh floor is fitted
Bee Craft digital December 2008 Page 9
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