Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 11
bees
This chapter has been written as an introduction for those who want to move on to
producing their own queens and perhaps breeding their own bees. There are many very
good topics on the subject, and if you are keen on rearing queens for yourself or for sale
to others, or if you simply want to explore the world of bee breeding, it would be wise
to study these texts. This is just a taster to get you started.
First, all queen-rearing methods are centred on one basic fact of bee biology: nurse bees
can turn one-day-old female (worker) larvae into queens by enlarging the young grubs'
cells and feeding them on a steady diet of hormone-rich royal jelly. Every technique
in queen rearing is thus based on introducing tiny, one-day-old larvae that resemble a
small comma to a group of queenless - and thus highly motivated - nurse bees.
You already know that you should replace your queens at least every two years, and you
know the great advantages of doing this in terms of reducing swarming and increasing
honey production. You can, of course, buy your queens from a reputable supplier but,
to save money and to increase your enjoyment of beekeeping, you can also produce your
own, and this is not at all difficult. In fact, if you leave your bees alone, they will do it
for you: they will produce queen cells full of viable virgin queens that you can use to
replace your old queens with.
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