# Why I like Mike Palmer Queens



## KeyBeeper (Jun 7, 2009)

Does Mike Palmer have a website?


----------



## fatscher (Apr 18, 2008)

KeyBeeper said:


> Does Mike Palmer have a website?


No, but he has an e-mail address. PM me and I'll give it to you.


----------



## KeyBeeper (Jun 7, 2009)

Your PM box is full and will not accept any more messages. Mine should be wide open  - so feel free to shoot me a PM as well. 



fatscher said:


> No, but he has an e-mail address. PM me and I'll give it to you.


----------



## fatscher (Apr 18, 2008)

mcdermottm said:


> ??


Seems a little personal to post this openly like this. Webmaster can you pls delete? Or maybe mcdermottm you can do us the honors, pls?


----------



## mcdermottm (Apr 27, 2010)

sorry...i just posted the info i found on him listed under one of the websites. easy to find.


----------



## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

John,
Doesn't that frame look somewhat spotty to you? It almost looks like the empty cells could be spelling something. Other than the empty cells amongst the capped brood, it does look good.

I have some of Mike's queens from last year and their deep frames don't look like that.


----------



## winevines (Apr 7, 2007)

sqkcrk said:


> John,
> Doesn't that frame look somewhat spotty to you? It almost looks like the empty cells could be spelling something.


You want some spottiness- as I understand it, that is from hygeinic behavior - bees picking out larvae with mites and maybe other diseases.


----------



## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

Mark, queens don't lay in new comb in cells above the vertical wires.


----------



## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Yeah, I did wonder if that wasn't what was going on.

Mike, if you had seen that in your hives on old comb, wouldn't you evaluate it as spotty?


----------



## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

winevines said:


> You want some spottiness- as I understand it, that is from hygeinic behavior - bees picking out larvae with mites and maybe other diseases.


I guess so, but not in new comb like that. And I have seen plenty of frames of brood that were top to bottom and end bar to end bar w/out and, or hardly any, empty cells. This has usually occured in newly drawn Pierco frames in nuc boxes. But i have seen it in full sized colonies too.

Don't take my comments as critical of Mike Palmer queen, please. I love them so far. The ones that I took south for the winter did well there and are doing well here. I'll be ordering some more, if they are available. If Mike isn't already sold out.


----------



## Eyeshooter (Mar 8, 2008)

On brand new foundation I definitely did not consider this spotty. The empties are mostly over wires and the remaining I believe is hygienic behavior. When I first saw these frames, I pulled larva from 20 different drone cells spread over the 8 frames of brood. I found 1 mite and none of my other hives have 8 frames of brood in 1 hive like this queen has.
John


----------



## winevines (Apr 7, 2007)

Just for giggles- eggs on the horizontal wire...

Click zoom on upper left, then click hi res and wait a few seconds.

http://s97.photobucket.com/albums/l224/winevines/Home%20Made%20Queens%202010/?action=view&current=colorizedpollenandeggs_IMG_3011.jpg


----------



## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

I'm gonna ask one more question and then stop, because i don't want anyone thinking that I think that the frame isn't from a quality queen.

"the remaining I believe is hygienic behavior"? What were your bees cleaning out of 150 cells on one side of this comb?


----------



## fatscher (Apr 18, 2008)

sqkcrk said:


> i don't want anyone thinking that I think that the frame isn't from a quality queen.
> What were your bees cleaning out of 150 cells on one side of this comb?


I don't think that you think this isn't a quality queen, I just think it's interesting that you spend the time counting 150 empty cells when it's obvious the remaining 3,000 or so are filled. I mean, just sayin'...:lpf:


----------



## Brenda (Nov 23, 2006)

When I see frames filled like that, I am very happy.


----------



## Eyeshooter (Mar 8, 2008)

Which was actually my point of my original post. Having 8 frames filled out like this in one hive made me thrilled! Yes, there are some holes in this frame but when I blow up the original image so that it's extremely large, I see many are filled with nectar and pollen. 

I tip my hat to the success you must be having with your queens. This is absolutely the best queen in the 4 overwintered hives I currently have. Another medium goes on tomorrow. They have built out 2 mediums in 2 weeks. I wish my other hives would follow suit! The nuc I overwintered uses the same genetics and is going strong as is the nuc I just purchased from Mike. Both are now hived and are on their 2nd medium. I hope they do as well.

Good luck,

John


----------



## ehallspqr (May 2, 2010)

winevines said:


> You want some spottiness- as I understand it, that is from hygeinic behavior - bees picking out larvae with mites and maybe other diseases.


Exactly, normal mortality pattern. Great looking frame of brood.


----------

