# Shannon Leer / Leer Family Honey Farm



## mxr618 (Apr 23, 2008)

Have several reasons to rave about the Leer Family Honey Farm:

1. Communication - via email and phone, he kept me apprised about exactly where my packages and nucs were as far as delivery dates. When the Wisconsin weather threw a curve ball, he let me know right away. Packages were in at the end of April, very full nucs in the Middle of May, before the apples blossomed. 

2. Education - I'm still waaaaaay new at this and he took the time to tell me / show me what the story was with the nucs. I'm pretty sure I was in the bottom 10% of his customers' sizes but he didn't treat me that way. Answered my stupid questions with patience. 

3. These bees rock. The queens are strong layers and look good so far. The Buckfast strains are hot, but that doesn't bother me.

I run my own businesses and feel Shannon knows bees and knows business. I'll be ordering from him again!


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## Beeslave (Feb 6, 2009)

If any one that purchased packages or nucs from me is having queen issues please contact me. I've had some complaints and so far they all have to do with one specific breed of queen that came in the same shipment together and the complaints are of the same problem. I used some of these queens myself and I am seeing the same thing with some of them.

Shannon Leer
715-797-5984


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## sevenmmm (Mar 5, 2011)

Other than not being the strain I ordered, I have one hive that is queenless. However, just today I employed the Micheal Bush advice of taking a frame of brood from one of the other hives to have them start queen cells. 

If you want to send me a bred queen, I will install her. 

Video of the best queen from today's (third) inspection:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnXF73Oi10w


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## Beeslave (Feb 6, 2009)

Rick,
Your nucs had laying queens in them when they left. I put them(frames, bees, and laying accepted queen that was installed about 16 days prior) in those cardboard nuc boxes 2 hrs before you picked them up on May 15th. On June 5th you sent me a msg on how well the nucs are doing but now on your 3rd inspection you find one that is queenless. I'm sorry but I don't feel I'm at fault for the queenless hive but if you really feel that I am I can send you an Italian queen that comes from stock that will consume 100 lbs of honey over the winter in WI. That's all I have on hand for caged queens. She's been caged for 9 days now

I just watched your video and that is an awfully italian looking queen. I was told that the queens were Canadian Danish(Buckfast off breed or something like that) and that they were carniolan. I didn't take the time(cuz I didn't have it) to visually inspect every queen when installed other then making sure they were moving in the cage and later when the nucs were inspected I looked for eggs and larva no the queens. Not much I can say about it other than Sorry


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## oldenglish (Oct 22, 2008)

I have seen and heard a lot this year about disappearing queens. Everything looks great and then three weeks later no queen, no eggs, no brood. And no signs the hive tried to do anything about it when they had the chance. One local beekeeper has taken to calling it "Disappearing queen syndrom" And its from a wide range of breeds and suppliers so pretty sure they are not to blame.


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## sevenmmm (Mar 5, 2011)

Not much I can do about it now Shannon. 

I am going to order Carniolan-bred queens - from someone else.


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## acbz (Sep 8, 2009)

You may or may not realize this as a first-year beekeeper, but if the queen is alive and laying upon delivery/pickup, the seller has met his obligation as for queen-rightness. Also, are you 100% sure the nuc has become queenless? If she is indeed from carniolan stock, then it's possible that she's simply shut down the egg-laying due to the recent cool and rainy weather. That's a signature trait of carniolans. If the hive somehow became queenless after a few weeks, it's not the fault of the seller. 
As for not being the correct strain, that's a different issue and it sounds a bit complicated due to the fact that the seller's queen supplier told him that he was sending a carniolan-based stock. 
Good luck to you.


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