# Grow queens and mating in industrial apiary . Whats the best methods you think?



## Richinbama (Jan 15, 2018)

You should look at the quality videos on YouTube.!!! Grafting is the fastest, but requires allot of bees I think. Look up university of gulpth. The are a great resource of no nonsense way to achieve your goals. Also, the have very nice videos, and are very professional in presentation. Also, they show many different systems. Good luck


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

Some of what we do.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vA3yiNoAh4o

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7tinVIuBJ8


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## Clayton Huestis (Jan 6, 2013)

Mike, Have you wintered your nucs in 4 way configuration? If so what were the results?


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

Not great. Can be done with fussing. Too many queens wintering when they can be used or sold in August. Now we pull one queen on each side of the central divider, move the feeder to sidewall, so box has 2, 8 mini frame nucs. Then pull all the queens from one or two 4-ways, move the feeders to sidewall, and double up...or triple up if I need more August queens...sent 150 to British Columbia last August.


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## msl (Sep 6, 2016)

Liz Huxter was doing 4 way shallows  in a shed 
https://vimeo.com/161651142


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## Clayton Huestis (Jan 6, 2013)

Thanks MP and msl. Liz presentation was my core idea. Wanted to confirm with Mike if it was doable here as he has same climate and winter as I do. Was thinking about building a pole barn to house quad nucs. The queens would be sold in the spring as northern " tested" queens at a premium price. Thinking there would be a high demands for northern queens in early spring.


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

I've sold some of those early queens. Not worth enough extra to bother with. I'd rather use them early in my own operation. Clayton, why don't you come hang out with us and see what we do. Right now I have 3 apiaries of wintering mating nucs. We'll start breaking them up on May 28. First queens on June 13. By the end of July, we're catching the last queens and uniting into larger units. You would like queen catching days, starting on the 13th and every 4 days afterward until August.


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## Florin94 (Sep 27, 2016)

Hi....THank all for the infos . I must say this 4 way nucs are awesome but is really most time effectivelly and how much queen can we grow/mate as 1 beekeper during 1 season? I still dont know if I can live only from queens or not. Is locking as a large volume of work anyway. Thank


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

Once you get the business large enough...good help pays, it doesn't cost. I have several employees in the summer. Remember, we're running 3 sides to the operation, at the same time. Honey production, queen production, and nucleus colony production. My help jumps back and forth depending what day it is and what we're working on. I do most of the cell building, but they can come help if I need it.


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## Clayton Huestis (Jan 6, 2013)

MP I'll more than likely come over this summer. Love to see everything in action.


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## msl (Sep 6, 2016)

Do it! 
Many would cut off body parts for that invitation


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