# OTS queen rearing book



## mgstei1 (Jan 11, 2014)

yes, well worth it and he will also answer any questions or he did for me.


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## kerryq (Jan 27, 2014)

I raised 5 queens for nucs with it and 4 survived the MN winter. I intend to raise 10 more this year. It is easy to do (especially using new comb and a couple of mine were just eggs, not larvae and it worked) So, for me the math works out. The book actually covers a few things the web page does not and I second the statement that Mel is there to help. A big yes on the book from me.

kq


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## Oldtimer (Jul 4, 2010)

Re the cost of bee books, it's a niche market and huge numbers of books are not sold, particularly if in a specialised area of beekeeping such as queen rearing that will not even sell as much as general beekeeping books.

Therefore cost can _seem_ high but a quality book can involve a lot of work for the author. Haven't read the OTS book so cannot comment on it specifically but to me anyway, $50 is not a lot for a good book in this genre.


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## Thershey (Mar 12, 2014)

You'll never buy bees or queens again, best $50 you'll ever spend on this hobby.


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## BadBeeKeeper (Jan 24, 2015)

People who have been to college know that textbooks can cost a lot, a hundred to two hundred bucks, sometimes more. And then, usually you don't open them again after the course is done.

With bees, school is in session as long as you've got them. You get to choose the books you want (unlike college courses) and can continue to refer to them for a long time after. $50 is cheap schooling.


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## Cahillbilly (Mar 31, 2011)

I've been talking to Mel for 3 years. Bought his book last year and got a signed copy. I tried the notching and did 12 cells as an experiment my second year. I got 11 queens. I only had the one hive. I gave most to local friends. I will say that you need to follow his instructions as he says. Get those queens out before swarming and you will break the mites cycle. Let the strong hive build your queen cells. Set up your nucs and put queen cells. In July pull those queens out again. Much easier with a single deep. Don't wait till July to try and find those queens in strong hives. I made that mistake last year trying to cut some corners.


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## JohnSchwartz (Mar 24, 2014)

The book is a gold mine. You have to read between the lines on a few things, but the nuggets regarding breaking the mite cycle, honey production and queen rearing are worth their weight. Mel's book has provided some answers to mites and simplified queen rearing that I've been missing for 12+ years. 

I'm into my second year with OTS, no treatment for mites, didn't lose any hives over winter (brutal OH cold this year). Here's a quick blog post on Spring notching in May.


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