# Why is it such a bad queen rearing year???



## Calibeekeeper (Mar 31, 2014)

I raise around 400 nucs for queens usually I can catch 70% of that 400 but this year is horrible about 50% or below. Every queen raiser I talk to said its been a bad year for them also. I run 1200 hives and usually my nucs take care of what I need for queens but I have had to buy queens from different people and they have been just garbage horrible takes on my hives. Theirs a few raisers I buy from that are good but very few . I don't what it is this year but it's just been bad. I would like to hear some input on this and what people have heard what's causing it.


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## Ian (Jan 16, 2003)

Different location and different results. Spring time catch on 450 nucs was 90%, now in our weekly mini queen nucs we are getting 75%.


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## zhiv9 (Aug 3, 2012)

I had the opposite results of Ian. 75% around dandelion bloom and then 90% later. Lots of variables. Weather, flow conditions, etc.


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## mathesonequip (Jul 9, 2012)

location, location, location and the weather on mating days.


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## JRG13 (May 11, 2012)

Haven't noticed anything un-usual up here except a few queens that were raised when buckeye was blooming. Some of them looked great just to be superceded almost immediately after starting to lay.


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## RAK (May 2, 2010)

Had 85 take on my 400 june splits. My first round in cali was 70. Bought queens in orland from zs bees month ago. 98 acceptance.


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## beepro (Dec 31, 2012)

Rak, did you bought the vsh or Cordovan queens from Orland?
And are they the gentle type bees too?


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## RAK (May 2, 2010)

1,Both
2 yes.


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## beepro (Dec 31, 2012)

Are they the tf operation too?
Seems to me they are if they're using the vsh queens.


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## RAK (May 2, 2010)

No, I would never buy from a Tf operation.


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## mbc (Mar 22, 2014)

RAK said:


> No, I would never buy from a Tf operation.


On principle, or other reasoning?


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## RAK (May 2, 2010)

This is a commercial page. Just cant figure out why some of you are trying to put apples and oranges in the same basket.


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## beepro (Dec 31, 2012)

RAK, does your queen has the smaller head and a slender body too?
My Cordovan queen has a smaller head compare to my home raised queens that have
the bigger head. How do they raised the queens to have the smaller head and slender abdomen?
I like to find out the how to.


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## m0dem (May 14, 2016)

beepro said:


> RAK, does your queen has the smaller head and a slender body too?


What is your obsession with small queen heads and big queen heads??


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## RAK (May 2, 2010)

I dont know of any differences in queen heads.


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## liljake83 (Jul 2, 2013)

Beepro time to change your name queen head size does not matter!


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## beepro (Dec 31, 2012)

If it does not matter then how come the commercial
queens I bought for grafting have the smaller head than the 
daughters I grafted? Why I cannot duplicate the small head size like
the commercial operation? Be it big or small size head they all lay the same egg pattern all solid broods on the frames.
So what makes a commercial queen small size head and mine bigger head queen? I'm curious to know that's all. Who has the answer?


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