queens mating with chosen drones

heaflaw · April 01, 2008, 10:44:37 PM

I just did a split. I'm letting the bees raise their own queens and I hope to get several new hives out of it. I'm trying to increase from my own best hives and keep only the traits I want. Is there any way I can prevent the virgin queens from mating with drones from certain other hives? (I have 15 total).

dlmarti · April 01, 2008, 10:49:26 PM

Nope.

Queens will fly for miles, just to get away from her own Drones.

heaflaw · April 01, 2008, 11:58:40 PM

Quote from: dlmarti on April 01, 2008, 10:49:26 PM
Nope.

Queens will fly for miles, just to get away from her own Drones.

Actually, as far as I know, I'm the only one for miles who has bees. I don't think there are any feral bees around either. I have one hive that produces a lot of honey each year but it is very mean. I especially don't want the virgin queens to mate with drones from that one hive. Is there a way that I could temporarily prevent those drones from flying?

I should have explained better to begin with.

Joseph Clemens · April 02, 2008, 12:38:28 AM

There is a technique, I do not remember where I read about it, but I'm sure a little searching and you should be able to find it.

The technique, is basically where you confine the virgin queens and the desired drones, then just before dusk release them both. Supposedly they will be the only queens and drones in the air, all others being done with their business earlier.

Cindi · April 02, 2008, 01:04:00 AM

Quote from: Joseph Clemens on April 02, 2008, 12:38:28 AM
There is a technique, I do not remember where I read about it, but I'm sure a little searching and you should be able to find it.

The technique, is basically where you confine the virgin queens and the desired drones, then just before dusk release them both. Supposedly they will be the only queens and drones in the air, all others being done with their business earlier.

Sorry, I just don't believe that, plain and simple. The drone congregation area is high in the sky, say about 25-30 feet up. The queen needs to mate with between 15-20 drones to have a great gene pool. In the drone congregation area, only the strongest and fastest drones will mate with this queen, that ensures the best of the best.

I think that if the drones and queen were released at dusk, they would get lost in the night air and perish, never to return to their homes. Queens go out for their nuptual flight in the afternoons, while the sun is still warm and shines strong. Poor genetics if they were to be breeding in the near dark skies, I am positive of that. My two cents, maybe I am wrong, but I feel pretty strongly about this. Others will chime in for sure. Good luck, have a wonderful and awesome day, Cindi

Michael Bush · April 02, 2008, 07:34:40 AM

>Is there any way I can prevent the virgin queens from mating with drones from certain other hives?

Why? The queen will most likely fly further than your drones and most likely mate with some other drones. You may not think they are out there, but most likely they are.

dlmarti · April 02, 2008, 08:46:56 AM

Quote from: heaflaw on April 01, 2008, 11:58:40 PM
Quote from: dlmarti on April 01, 2008, 10:49:26 PM
Nope.

Queens will fly for miles, just to get away from her own Drones.

Actually, as far as I know, I'm the only one for miles who has bees. I don't think there are any feral bees around either. I have one hive that produces a lot of honey each year but it is very mean. I especially don't want the virgin queens to mate with drones from that one hive. Is there a way that I could temporarily prevent those drones from flying?

I should have explained better to begin with.

Alot of people in your area have bees, heck your queens could even mate with the drones from Brushy Mountain.

DaveKow · April 02, 2008, 09:20:55 AM

Alot of people in your area have bees, heck your queens could even mate with the drones from Brushy Mountain.
[/quote]

Talk about royalty!

Understudy · April 02, 2008, 09:34:56 AM

The queen will naturally try to avoid her own drones. Drones will fly from miles away for a chance to mate. Remember also every drone in your hive does not mean it was hatched in that hive. Drones have a free pass into any hive. So while many of the drones in a hive may be related there are plenty who are not.

Let your queen diversify the genetics. The current problem with many queens out there is the lack of diversified genes.

Sincerely,
Brendhan

JP · April 02, 2008, 09:47:06 AM

Quote from: dlmarti on April 01, 2008, 10:49:26 PM
Nope.

Queens will fly for miles, just to get away from her own Drones.

Sounds like my wife, when she's mad at me!

...JP

Cindi · April 02, 2008, 10:08:29 AM

JP, imagine that!! Your Wife gets mad at you? Hmmmm.....wonder why, not because you are such a brat, eh? Beautiful day in this beautiful life, love life. Cindi

JP · April 02, 2008, 11:03:30 AM

Quote from: Cindi on April 02, 2008, 10:08:29 AM
JP, imagine that!! Your Wife gets mad at you? Hmmmm.....wonder why, not because you are such a brat, eh? Beautiful day in this beautiful life, love life. Cindi

Yeah, I left the gate open, on purpose!!! :-D :-D :-D

...JP

Brian D. Bray · April 03, 2008, 01:11:24 AM

Quote from: Joseph Clemens on April 02, 2008, 12:38:28 AM
There is a technique, I do not remember where I read about it, but I'm sure a little searching and you should be able to find it.

The technique, is basically where you confine the virgin queens and the desired drones, then just before dusk release them both. Supposedly they will be the only queens and drones in the air, all others being done with their business earlier.

The best way to eliminate a hives drone from the breeding stock of a queen is to move the hive you don't want the queen to mate with at least 10 miles away. As stated, queens try to avoid her siblings but every drone in a hive is not necessarially raised in that hive--that's how varroa got passed from one hive to another, wandering drones. Foriegn drones are allowed admittance when foriegn workers aren't so that a queen will have a mating diversity.