Define "Breeder Queen"

[JackM]

Please define the difference between a breeder queen and any other queen other than it seems ( the BQ ) to be the one picked to make more queens with and costs a bunch more.

Is there a physical difference?  Does it just mean the Queen is proven?  Tried to find clarity online and just got more confused I think.

[indypartridge]

the one picked to make more queens

In a nutshell, that's it. If you're raising a significant number of queens, all your grafted larva are coming from a BQ.

Is there a physical difference?

No

Does it just mean the Queen is proven?

Yes, she's a proven layer, but more than that, it means she has very desirable traits/genetics that the beekeeper raising queens wants to have. Very often the high cost is because she has been artificially inseminated.

[Tommyt]

costs a bunch more

With that I think you mean the BQ's that cost 200.00
If so? Those are a specific Breed that was more than likely
artificial inseminated to keep the genetics
If you look into Mike Palmers videos I think he
explains how folks use the one
breeder queen for use in your queen rearing production
I know I would hate to have one fly away  :?

Tommyt

[FRAMEshift]

The breeder queen has very well defined genetics.  The difference is very important with VHS breeder queens which are homozygous for hygienic behavior.  They are so strict with hygiene that their workers can't really be used in a hive.  They kill too much of the brood.  The descendant heterozygous queens have a strong hygienic behavior but not so strong that they wipe out the hive.  

So the breeder queen is good at providing genes to the next generation but might not be a good hive queen herself.

[T Beek]

Very interesting.  Thanks for the well thought explanations. (I thought all queens were breeder queens

thomas

[backyard warrior]

Frameshift its funny you say that because i had two queens that were daughter queens and these bees where aggressive and also very hygenic.  Didnt store hardly any honey and very little brood due to the hygenics and also when i tried to requeen them i lost a few queens till i finally got them to accept a queen.  So i feel you are totally right about a queen not being a good hive queen that has very strong hygenic  traits from what i have seen but thats just my opionion.