Eco Bee Box Beekeeping: Natural Queen Rearing Western Apicultural Society 2015 Albert Chubak Founder & CEO Common problem with modern vehicles Solutions: Fix Tire, Replace Car, Walk Beekeeping Flat Tires A number of problems exist -We know a flat will come -Not trained to fix problem -Too many walk or replace the car Many Reasons for Flat Tires in Beekeeping Beekeeping error Lack of resources Humidity Too warm/too cold Disease Robbing Intentional kill Accidental kill Mites Queen failure list continues Why are we loosing bees? Many reasons exist but my observation is 99% of beekeepers do not know how to raise a queen If you were a cattle rancher We are beekeepers, therefore Problems in Beekeeping We are told: Do not harvest honey from new package / colony its first year. Up to 80% of new beekeepers colonies fail the first year. (swarming, absconding, successive failure, complete die-off, queen loss, etc) 40% and up, of all colonies die prior to 1 year mark https://beeinformed.org/2015/05/colony-loss preliminary-results/ Queen Failure What do you do when your queen is Question I ask Do you know how to raise a queen? Lack of education on queen rearing & Sustainability of an apiary How many know how to raise a queen? What happens if your queen is gone? Where do you get a replacement? What is the quality of the replacement? What is the pedigree of your queen? How long does a queen live? How long has your queen lived? Important Queen Dates Day 1-3 they are eggs Day 4-8 they are larva Day 9-16 they are pupae Notes: All larva fed royal jelly until day 5 Worker bees take 21 to hatch Once cells are capped, 8 days until they hatch Honey Bees Honey bees (Apis) have been around since 34 million years My Bedroom Window Utah Hive Langstroth Top-Bar https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6cVKUr h9WE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6cVKUr h9WE Watching mini through observation window The Beginning Raising & Mating Queens Desirable Traits Winter hardy Large brood pattern Mild nature Pest resistance Local stock Disease resistance Type of bee Longevity Quality of bi-products What traits would you seek in a colony? Note: Breeders can sell queens with specific qualities Locating Good Stock What I Look For Cut-outs The Universal Tool for Beekeepers Raising Queens Storing Queens Splits Local Survivor Stock Universal Frame Emergency Brood Less Aggressive Fast Build-up Numerous Ways to Start a Colony Frame of eggs and young larva Queen sabbatical (4-5 days) Swarm capture Swarm control & baiting Cut-out Add queen to handful nurse bees Add capped Queen cell to colony Use of follower board Build and separate