# Good queen rearing book for beginners



## Fusion_power (Jan 14, 2005)

Laidlaw and Eckert literally wrote the book on queen rearing. You might also enjoy reading Jay Smiths stuff.

http://www.bushfarms.com/bees.htm and scroll down to the part about queens.


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## RayMarler (Jun 18, 2008)

If I could only buy one book, the one I'd get is from Michael Bush... 
Classic Queen Rearing Compendium.

http://www.amazon.com/Classic-Queen...2088362&sr=1-1&keywords=classic+queen+rearing

This book has all the old queen rearing masters that researched and experimented and started the queen rearing that we all do today. It includes the writing from...

Doolittle, Miller, Alley, Smith, Hopkins, and Pellett.

I have this book myself and enjoy reading through it today.


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## burns375 (Jul 15, 2013)

Here are a bunch of free texts on our clubs website, mostly classics, some modern. Take your pic. 

http://kyanabees.com/wordpress/bee-literature/


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## CtyAcres (Apr 8, 2012)

Contemporary Queen Rearing by Harry H Laidlaw Jr.


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

Ditto


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

A basic overview of queen rearing concepts:
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesqueenrearing.htm

A video of a presentation of the overview:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZhV9pBCT-g

A bunch of classic queen rearing books you can read for free:
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesoldbooks.htm

One of my favorites:
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesbetterqueens.htm

Another of my favorites:
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesqueenrearingsimplified.htm

If you just want a few good queens with not much complexity:
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesafewgoodqueens.htm

The old books are also for sale on Amazon, etc. if you prefer to have them in the form of a book.


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## 37 V8 (Nov 11, 2011)

CtyAcres said:


> Contemporary Queen Rearing by Harry H Laidlaw Jr.


Thanks CtyAcres and MP for your recommendations. I just inventoried the bee books I brought out to AZ for my winter reading, and I brought Laidlaw's book with me so it's next on my list. I also thank MP for his recommendation on Manley's book Honey Farming. I really enjoyed it, even though it's now about 70 yrs from when it was first written, it was surprisingly "current". Well, other than the section on pests they dealt with back then.


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## Kevtater (May 17, 2013)

Thanks guys. I spent most of last night reading one of Jay Smith's books. Going to start Laidlaw tonight. A few good queens might be what I'm looking for, judging by the title. I'm going to save this thread.


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## 37 V8 (Nov 11, 2011)

Kevtater said:


> Thanks guys. I spent most of last night reading one of Jay Smith's books.


His 'Better Queens' was my last read.


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## deknow (Jul 17, 2006)

I put some 'notes and quotes' (some of the quotes are 'in the spirit of' the fake Einstein quote about bees) about queens and queenrearing up as a pdf as supporting material for some recent talks I gave on queenrearing and breeding for beekeepers in Florida and Philly. It might be of interest.

http://BeeUntoOthers.com/queennotes.pdf

These are the Powerpoint slides I've been using in my queen rearing talks. They do not (by themselves) always represent what I talk about.

http://beeuntoothers.com/queenrearing.pdf

deknow


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## Knisely (Oct 26, 2013)

Thanks, deknow. The powerpoint presentation and talk were very useful. The slides showing haploid genetics especially.


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## deknow (Jul 17, 2006)

Knisely said:


> Thanks, deknow. The powerpoint presentation and talk were very useful. The slides showing haploid genetics especially.


...I made those slides for a fixed format presentation, where I had 20 slides, and exactly 15 seconds per slide....to explain honeybee genetics to a bunch of crafters (knitters, quilters, artists, etc) at MIT. The video can be seen here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqFr4P405mo
...but they messed up some of the slides when they rendered them.

I think you might find the other document (queennotes) more useful for helping to think about queen rearing as you read and understand the methods of other beekeepers.

deknow


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## kilocharlie (Dec 27, 2010)

Burns - thank you for the link! Nice list.

Everyone - great posts. I vote 5 stars!

I'll add a bit about Dr. Laidlaw...The earliest book of his that I have found was written with Dr, John Eckert and titled Queen Rearing. Some time later, Queen Rearing and Bee Breeding was written by H. H. Laidlaw, Jr. and Dr. Robert Page. This is the one preferred by several universities. A later book was Contemporary Queen Rearing, that Dr. Laidlaw wrote himself. I have seen other titles attributed to him in library card catalogs, but have not yet gotten ahold of them.

Two other good beginning books for new queen rearing padawans are Queen Rearing Essentials by Dr. Lawrence John O'Connor, and Dr. Roger Morse's book. I'll look up the title and post it soon. 

More advanced queen rearing Jedi Knights might enjoy Ernesto Guzman's book, but again I need to check the exact title and will post as soon as I find it. Glenn Apiaries' website is also VERY helpful.

Just so it doesn't go unsaid - The mastery of basic beekeeping is a serious prerequisite for raising good queens, so do read Dr. Lawrence John O'Connor's Increase Essentials and Dr. C C. Miller's Fifty Years Among the Bees so that you can build a strong Cell Builder colony.

My apologies for the incomplete information.


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## philip.devos (Aug 10, 2013)

Fusion_power said:


> You might also enjoy reading Jay Smiths stuff.
> 
> http://www.bushfarms.com/bees.htm and scroll down to the part about queens.


I have Jay Smith's "Better Queens". While I found the book fun to read, since I am trying to get a handle on how to begin to raise queens, application-wise I found the book very frustrating. I am going to try Laidlaw's "Contemporary Queen Rearing", as that has received good reviews.

Youtube has a very good video by The Ohio Countryboy on Queen rearing.

Phil


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## JasonERD (Feb 7, 2013)

Kevtater said:


> A few good queens might be what I'm looking for, judging by the title.


I am also hoping to raise "a few good queens" this year. Does anyone know, how big of a hive you should use to make queen-less with this method? I don't anticipate needing more than 3 or 4 new queens, and that is with an extra for an emergency nuc


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## cg3 (Jan 16, 2011)

JasonERD said:


> Does anyone know, how big of a hive you should use to make queen-less with this method?


Careful what you ask for or Michael Palmer will post a photo that will blow your mind.


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## deknow (Jul 17, 2006)

For only a few queens, I'd suggest crowding a strong hive into a 5 or 10 frame box (you really want the bees overcrowded).
No need to find the queen...just put a piece of comb that is trimmed to an area of older eggs in the center.
These are queens (even if in a 5 frame box) produced out of abundance.


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## Bella Honey (Sep 4, 2011)

For a beginner jay smith rearing queens simplified is great but, there is a lot of info out there. What I did is took small pieces of info from 5-6 different systems to create my own. Michael bush has a youtube podcast that has some really good ideas.
Good luck 
If at first you don't succeed you missed the queen and put her in the swam box with the grafts
Oops..


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>I am also hoping to raise "a few good queens" this year. Does anyone know, how big of a hive you should use to make queen-less with this method?

The main thing is the density of bees, more than the size. Of course it's eaiser to crowd a populous hive by simply removing boxes until it's crowded. It's trickier to get a nuc overcrowded, but one way is to move the hive somewhere else and put a nuc in it's place with the resources you want and it will end up overflowing from all the returning field bees.

> I don't anticipate needing more than 3 or 4 new queens, and that is with an extra for an emergency nuc 

A large crowded hive will almost always build 20 or so cells and sometimes will do 50... a crowded nuc would do for 3 or 4...


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## mike bispham (May 23, 2009)

Michael Bush said:


> The main thing is the density of bees, more than the size. Of course it's eaiser to crowd a populous hive by simply removing boxes until it's crowded. It's trickier to get a nuc overcrowded, but one way is to move the hive somewhere else and put a nuc in it's place with the resources you want and it will end up overflowing from all the returning field bees.


Not being much of a lifter I was planning to put together a little rail system to bleed off field bees this way. 

Some people recommend separately a cell starter hive (more pressured, very well ventilated) and a cell builder hive - presumably to maximise production. I'm planning to try this, if only to work through the method. 

Mike (UK)


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## kilocharlie (Dec 27, 2010)

I'd recommend a full 10-frame box because it is easier to put extra frames of capped brood in it a week before you start, ensuring you have the crowding you want, plus room for pollen and a frame of honey. 

Michael Palmer adds 7 frames of capped brood and the resulting "bee bomb hive" is primed for queen rearing. He actually uses a deep and a medium box.


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