# How to Raise Queen Bees - Hands-on Classes and/ or Good Reference Books



## SunnyR2000 (May 9, 2012)

This is going to be the year I try it - grafting my own queens, provided my hives make it through the winter. 

I've had one hands-on class with Melanie (Zia Bees), but would like to get a little more before this Spring. Been reading, asking questions of other, more experience Beeks, but thought I'd pose the question here. 

If you know of any good hands-on classes/ coursework and/ or reference materials which may help guide me on my information quest, please share! 

Thanks!


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## toekneepea (Jul 7, 2010)

http://www.beesource.com/forums/sho...ls-Without-Grafting&highlight=graftless+queen

Tony P.


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## SunnyR2000 (May 9, 2012)

Added to my bookmarks! Thanks!


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## Hilltop (Aug 21, 2013)

I used this manual: http://www.uaex.edu/Other_Areas/publications/pdf/MP518.pdf

It is very simple and easy to follow. I raised several queens last summer using this method exactly and it worked great. Those queens are still doing great.


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

_Contemporary Queen Rearing_, Laidlaw
_Queen Rearing and Bee Breeding_, Page and Laidlaw


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## SunnyR2000 (May 9, 2012)

Thanks!


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## merince (Jul 19, 2011)

Definitely Contemporary Queen Rearing, Laidlaw. It has tons of useful info on setting up your nucs for success.


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## SunnyR2000 (May 9, 2012)

Check


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## rwurster (Oct 30, 2010)

Better Queens, Smith.


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

_Queen Rearing and Bee Breeding_is basically the same book as _Contemporary Queen Rearing_, but with a section on genetics.


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## SunnyR2000 (May 9, 2012)

Check


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## kilocharlie (Dec 27, 2010)

Another referemce book that comes to mind is Dr. Lawrence John Connor's Bee Sex Essentials, and of course, Brother Adam's Beekeeping at Buckfast Abbey, Breeding the Honeybee, and In Search of the Best Strains Of Bees, but as Mike Palmer mentions, Laidlaw and Page's Queen Rearing and Bee Breeding is my primary reference. And thanks to Tony P. for bringing back Oldtimer's fantastic thread of 2010!


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## SunnyR2000 (May 9, 2012)

Got 'em. Thanks!


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## Sharpbees (Jun 26, 2012)

A good DVD on queen rearing is by David Ayres- it is available through Kelley's or at beeworks.com. It explains three methods for rearing queens whether you want a few or thousands.


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## SunnyR2000 (May 9, 2012)

Check


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## kilocharlie (Dec 27, 2010)

Sunny - also check to see if Dr. Connor is lecturing anywhere near Durango. He gives a great hands-on and explanation on queen rearing. Also, if you can catch Dr. Cobey at a public lecture like she gave to a bee club out here in California, you'd be getting advise from the best. Either of them is worth the price of a plane ticket and a quick vacation a hundred times over.

One thing is sure, be sure to read that link that Toekneepea put in post#2 of this thread. Oldtimer gives a fantastic how-to in the (modified) Henry Alley / Jay Smith "Cut-Cell" method of queen rearing. Also look for Michael Palmer's method of setting up a Cell Builder colony. He uses Brother Adam's method, except that he brings in capped brood frames from over-wintered nucleus colonies instead of from honey production colonies. I wish I had money enough to fly down to New Zealand and see his operation, the Cloake's operation, and meet the remaining beekeepers in Sir Edmund Hillary's family, among other excellent NZ beekeepers. What a "lecture / workshop" that would be!

Here's Michael Palmer's explanation of Kirk Webster's method. READ to the END and note that he has changed over to Brother Adam's method,which he has modified:

www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?244271-My-Cell-Building-Methods

I'm working on a method that combines the benefits of the Cloake Board method with Michael Palmer's method, also a calendar for drone rearing, queen rearing, I.I., and open mating! It's kind of, shall we say, _intense_...

Other than that, be sure to 1) start a calendar, 2) build your queen bank frames and a bunch of queen cages before you need them, 3) build enough nucleus boxes and frames this winter for mating season later this coming spring, and 4) order your foundation, if you use it. Springtime gets way too busy to suddenly have to build a bunch of boxes and frames!


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## Oldtimer (Jul 4, 2010)

The main basics are to use a strong well fed queenless hive or unit to start the cells. 

Graft, comb cut, or whatever in such a way the bees can build the queen cells pointing straight down. The very simplest way of doing this is just to trim away part of a comb where eggs or just hatched larvae are, so the cells can be built straight down from there. 

Day before hatching, cells are transferred to some kind of queenless nuc, if there is no natural flow at the time give them a little syrup which aids in acceptance of the cell.

To me, there can be a huge array of methods designed to suit the beekeeper that will produce fine queens, if they incorporate these basics.


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## SunnyR2000 (May 9, 2012)

Check


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## hideawayranch (Mar 5, 2013)

Can you post any information on how to contact either of these speakers? Just maybe we would entice them to come to Durango Co.


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## SunnyR2000 (May 9, 2012)

At the risk of sounding psychotic, I've been stalking Susan Cobey, looking for contact information, sending email to any email address I can find online (UC Davis, etc), in which I ask if she plans to speak somewhere or offer a class or have any other ideas on quality hands-on resources. A trip to CA sounds good to me! 

If anyone has any solid leads, please share!


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## KevinR (Apr 30, 2010)

The local bee associations sometimes have a queen rearing course.. You might want to look there... 

But realistically, you can find everything you need here or on youtube. If there is something specific that your looking for, you should ask those questions. As previously mentioned, all you need is enough bees and larva of the right age. The bees will do the rest of the work. 

You just have to decide how to get the bees the larva, if your grafting, cutting comb, using emergency cells etc...


On the Susan Colbey front, the college website usually has her classes listed. You could also buy her book/dvd. I own them, but again.... Everything you need can be found here or on youtube..


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## SunnyR2000 (May 9, 2012)

I'm pretty keyed in to the local and state associations.  

Seems like there are a few more things to consider. It's my style to spend time researching different approaches before choosing one that fits my level of experience and comfort for a first time shot. Plus, I enjoy reading, including the history and genetics of the bees. Interesting stuff! 

Thanks!


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## KevinR (Apr 30, 2010)

There is tons of information on youtube, you just need to filter the good from the bad for yourself... 

I'm all for gathering knowledge, but your initial question was vague. Each of these videos will probably lead you down an endless rabbit hole of bee stuff by following the links on the sidebar.

Queen Rearing on a Smaller Scale with Larry Connor 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_iFNV5Y-mw

Queen Rearing in the Sustainable Apiary - Mike Palmer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7tinVIuBJ8

Mel Disselkoen speaks on OTS Queen Rearing and Miticide-free beekeeping 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIYz65Vquxg

Martin Braunstein - Collection of Videos on Queen Rearing
http://www.youtube.com/user/martinbrownstein?feature=watch

Raising Queen Bees at Sleeping Bear Farms
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k97ySnblZRo

Simple queen rearing (cell-punch method)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxjOMApFUJI

Honey Bees and Beekeeping 4.2: Queen Rearing 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmukiN_btGw

Fat Beeman's links...
http://www.youtube.com/user/fineshooter?feature=watch


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## SunnyR2000 (May 9, 2012)

Thanks!


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## PAHunter62 (Jan 26, 2011)

Another pretty good intro youtube video from TheOhioCountryboy

http://youtu.be/RKUH8dFlSaE


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## kilocharlie (Dec 27, 2010)

Dr. Susan Cobey has a double-assignment. She teaches at both U.C. Davis, and at Washington State University, and I suppose she would be at WSU now, but I am not entirely sure. 

An old email for her is scobey"at"mac"dot"com. I know she was updating her website a while back, and I have not been in touch with her since, but it is supposed to be up and running by now. Try contacting Dr. Eric Mussen at U.C. Davis. He'll have her current email.

Dr. Connor has his own website, and owns Wicwas Press. www.wicwas.com

I'll check and pm you in a few days.


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## KevinR (Apr 30, 2010)

Good cutaway shot showing how to use the Chinese grafting tool...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5NnWDkqXNo


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## SunnyR2000 (May 9, 2012)

Thanks, guys.


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