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Author Topic: Banking queens, for how long?  (Read 3365 times)

Offline Pi

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Banking queens, for how long?
« on: April 30, 2008, 12:25:01 pm »
It's too late this year, but down here in the south it's hard to buy a queen in early April, and that's when queens are needed the most.  I'd like to preorder some queens in the fall for delivery in late March or so, and bank them until needed.
My question is how long can queens be banked?  Does this sound like a good thing to do?

Offline doak

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Re: Banking queens, for how long?
« Reply #1 on: April 30, 2008, 05:32:06 pm »
Yes you need some in the spring.
I could have used a couple around the first of April.
Here is what I plan to do this year.
Get me a Queen rearing kit. Raise some Queens in June, July, and/or August.
You can re Queen as late as October, But Sept. would be better.
You will be starting into the low end of the season when the Queen doesn't lay very much.
Then she will be there fresh and ready to go early next spring.

Re Queen now or earlier and she is not as young and fresh next spring.
Or you can make some 8 frame nucs in the fall and have an early queen next spring.
Use Queens from your nucs and combine the bees with a weak colony.
Or if you want to increase and don't use all your Queens, there it is.
And/or take brood from the nucs to boost weak ones. and the list goes on.
Sale some nucs., and so on.
No matter how early you order, unless from Hawaii  or some place where they rear queens year round. You'll not get one that was hatched that spring. Hope this helps. :) ;)
doak

Offline Michael Bush

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Re: Banking queens, for how long?
« Reply #2 on: May 01, 2008, 07:46:54 am »
Banking queens can be a bit unpredictable.  The longer they are banked the harder it is on them.  But if you put some queenless bees in a nuc for a couple of hours and then put the queens in they will usually take care of MOST of them as long as it doesn't get too cold and the cluster contract too much.

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesqueenrearing.htm#queenbank
My website:  bushfarms.com/bees.htm en espanol: bushfarms.com/es_bees.htm  auf deutsche: bushfarms.com/de_bees.htm  em portugues:  bushfarms.com/pt_bees.htm
My book:  ThePracticalBeekeeper.com
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