He's teaching sustainable beekeeping and it works. If you want to buy queens from long distances from California, Georgia, Texas or Florida fine. If you want to never buy a queen or a package again EVER pay attention he's telling you how. Have been keeping bees ala Palmer for 3 years and I will never ever ever buy another bee. He's right. My bees make way more honey than anyone else in our club. (local queens) Thank you Michael!
As a hobbyist in AHB territory, I have had very mixed results breeding my own queens. With 80% of the feral population being Africanized, and not enough hives of my own to properly saturate the area with drones, buying commercial queens is really my only option. The only somewhat local queen breeder is 100 miles away, and I have gotten Very hot bees from them, so this year I’m buying from Strachan Apiaries in Nothern California.
My bees Are Killing It !!! Southern Missouri has best Feral bees on the planet I think,5 yrs breeding my stock now and it's DEFINITELY showing and we have pretty cold winters ,my losses are Very,Very,Very minimal and Always Beekeeper pushing envelope ,not the bees.. All Palmer's methods work, straight up..
Hey young man; I figure you have addressed this question before and i would be greatful if you point me to the topic. I am a NewBee (Feb 13) - 2 hives and am wanting to become a local Queen rearer. You mention good Drone stock. How do I help develop Them? Best; Tom
From what I have learned, developing good drone stock seems like it requires a coordinated effort from all the surrounding bee keepers who are contributing drones to the local drone congregating area. This would be easier in country settings rather than city areas. Its pretty advanced bee community coordination and participation. From a personal point of view, I just try to make sure I raise bees that contribute desirable traits to the local gene pool rather than degrade the local genetics.
Parks Talley Thank you very much for the info. I live in the country -farming and horses-on a small 10 acre parcel. Our area has many small bee keepers and a few large ones who ship there bees all over the country. But we are as close as 5 miles to 70 miles apart. I know you are busy- one more question. Could you go a bit more about drone congregating area. Best; Tom
Anyone who is reasonable should probably expect to wait for a couple of weeks for it to disappear, and yes, something similar to Shane Zormander’s approach works magic with little hassle.
I've been keeping bee's as a hobbyist since the late 70's and never had much for problems until the early 90's, as more and more people got into bee keeping the commerical keepers started breeding bee's with a less agressive behavior, which resulted in dumbing down much of america's bee stock. Add the importation of other foreign bee's into the mix with their host of diseases/mites and the end result is what we have now. There is blame to pass around, but don't blame the hobbyist, look at the commerical yards that have proclaimed my bee's are better than your bee's. it is there where the problems lies.
i would think your queens would be better then what I can buy here I buy from breeders there is no breeders where i live u do not know what u are getting here. if u buy local.
He's teaching sustainable beekeeping and it works. If you want to buy queens from long distances from California, Georgia, Texas or Florida fine. If you want to never buy a queen or a package again EVER pay attention he's telling you how. Have been keeping bees ala Palmer for 3 years and I will never ever ever buy another bee. He's right. My bees make way more honey than anyone else in our club. (local queens) Thank you Michael!
As a hobbyist in AHB territory, I have had very mixed results breeding my own queens. With 80% of the feral population being Africanized, and not enough hives of my own to properly saturate the area with drones, buying commercial queens is really my only option. The only somewhat local queen breeder is 100 miles away, and I have gotten Very hot bees from them, so this year I’m buying from Strachan Apiaries in Nothern California.
Awesome!!!
My bees Are Killing It !!! Southern Missouri has best Feral bees on the planet I think,5 yrs breeding my stock now and it's DEFINITELY showing and we have pretty cold winters ,my losses are Very,Very,Very minimal and Always Beekeeper pushing envelope ,not the bees.. All Palmer's methods work, straight up..
exactly !!!
Hey young man;
I figure you have addressed this question before and i would be greatful if you point me to the topic. I am a NewBee (Feb 13) - 2 hives and am wanting to become a local Queen rearer. You mention good Drone stock. How do I help develop Them?
Best; Tom
From what I have learned, developing good drone stock seems like it requires a coordinated effort from all the surrounding bee keepers who are contributing drones to the local drone congregating area. This would be easier in country settings rather than city areas. Its pretty advanced bee community coordination and participation. From a personal point of view, I just try to make sure I raise bees that contribute desirable traits to the local gene pool rather than degrade the local genetics.
Parks Talley
Thank you very much for the info. I live in the country -farming and horses-on a small 10 acre parcel. Our area has many small bee keepers and a few large ones who ship there bees all over the country. But we are as close as 5 miles to 70 miles apart.
I know you are busy- one more question. Could you go a bit more about drone congregating area.
Best; Tom
James Bailey check out the description of Drone congregating areas at this link. honeybee.drawwing.org/book/drone-congregation-area
thanks
Well said
Anyone who is reasonable should probably expect to wait for a couple of weeks for it to disappear, and yes, something similar to Shane Zormander’s approach works magic with little hassle.
I am literally surrounded by very nearby bee-yards where you can find any bee that exists.
No hope of breeding anything local.
Too bad...
Local Bees Rule !!
I think you 're wrong ? I have token southern bees and made it through the winter
I've been keeping bee's as a hobbyist since the late 70's and never had much for problems until the early 90's, as more and more people got into bee keeping
the commerical keepers started breeding bee's with a less agressive behavior, which resulted in dumbing down much of america's bee stock. Add the importation
of other foreign bee's into the mix with their host of diseases/mites and the end result is what we have now.
There is blame to pass around, but don't blame the hobbyist, look at the commerical yards that have proclaimed my bee's are better than your bee's. it is there
where the problems lies.
i would think your queens would be better then what I can buy here I buy from breeders there is no breeders where i live u do not know what u are getting here. if u buy local.
Of course he thinks all backyard beekeepers should be buying queens from commercial queen breeders like himself...!