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Offline Perry

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Queen question
« on: June 09, 2014, 04:42:44 pm »
I have gotten so busy that I find myself behind (again, as usual)  :D
As I am going around (putting out fires) I am finding hives ready to swarm. I have been grabbing the queen, making a nice nuc, maybe a couple mating nucs with cells, and leaving the parent to requeen itself. My problem is I now have too many of these nucs with last years queens in them. I usually don't like to part with them because they are mostly the cream of the crop. I have nucs waiting to be made for customers, and most have been waiting for a crop of this years queens. Should I just replace the queens with new young queens in these nucs, offer a discount for a 1 year old super duty queen? If I requeen the nucs with young queens, what to do with the old good queens?
I also have 12 mating nucs that should be ready to start checking in a few days.
Life's good, just too busy as of late. 3 cut-outs to do. Tomorrow I'm off for a 3 hour drive to inspect a load of hives, and then another 3 hour drive home. 12 hour day I'm betting. Mean while my hives are probably throwing swarms. :sad:
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Offline LazyBkpr

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Re: Queen question
« Reply #1 on: June 09, 2014, 04:48:46 pm »
Ouch...   Thats a bit painful to contemplate...   are all of the queens last years queens?  Selling nucs with last years queens would not be unethical to me.. in fact I would much prefer an overwintered and proven queen.. but thats me...   I'd pay more rather than less...      Another option is to dig out all the queen cages and begin swapping queens..    A few of them wont get accepted but you would get most of your proven queens back....
    There is also the option of pulling the new queens with brood and bees into nuc's and re combining the nucs you made with the older queens...
   Sounds like your right out straight though..   If you don't have the time, selling the nucs you made up would be the simplest route.... if the most painful...
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Offline Woody Roberts

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Re: Queen question
« Reply #2 on: June 09, 2014, 05:25:41 pm »
Like Scott I would give more for a proven queen.
I recently had the opposite dilemma. I pulled two queens that were born in the fall with five frames of brood and sold them. At the same time every hive I have but one decided to supersede. For the last 30 days I had one queen right hive. 7 have made it back and started laying. Still have two more to check.
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Offline iddee

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Re: Queen question
« Reply #3 on: June 09, 2014, 05:43:23 pm »
As hinted above, advertize overwintered queen nucs and charge 10.00 more.
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Offline pistolpete

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Re: Queen question
« Reply #4 on: June 09, 2014, 11:36:34 pm »
I sell Nucs with one year old queens as well.   Most people like being told:  "The queen in this Nuc brought a strong hive through the winter, she's a great performer.   You'll probably want to re-queen next summer."  Give people a choice, but definitely not a discount.  You said so yourself, they are the cream of the crop.   Meanwhile, you put new queens in your strong hives, which is just about the best method of swarm prevention.
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Offline tefer2

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Re: Queen question
« Reply #5 on: June 10, 2014, 09:18:56 am »
Around here, overwintered queen is what they all want.
Crap, I charge more for them than a nuc with a new fresh queen.
Next year just offer overwintered nucs and see what happens.$$$$$
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Offline Zweefer

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Re: Queen question
« Reply #6 on: June 15, 2014, 01:45:33 am »
After my issues, I would have definitely been happy to know the the nuc had a proven, overwintered queen.
This is a blessing, not a problem...
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Offline robo

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Re: Queen question
« Reply #7 on: June 15, 2014, 07:15:13 am »
Perry,

You don't want to get a bad reputation of selling old queens and I know you don't just want to kill them.  But the good news is I can help you out.  Just recently (today)  I have started a queen rescue program for unwanted queen.   If you send them to me,  I will make sure they live out the rest of their lives in a peaceful well maintained bee yard with no threat of being euthanized.

Rob.....
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Offline apisbees

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Re: Queen question
« Reply #8 on: June 15, 2014, 02:32:00 pm »
Rob you are all heart.
I can,t add anything to the comments and posts above except get your son involved as a helper and in no time you will be able to get twice the work done in 1/2 the time, due to with his younger eyes and not being so old.
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Offline Perry

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Re: Queen question
« Reply #9 on: June 15, 2014, 05:56:27 pm »
Quote from: Robo on June 15, 2014, 07:15:13 am
Perry,

You don't want to get a bad reputation of selling old queens and I know you don't just want to kill them.  But the good news is I can help you out.  Just recently (today)  I have started a queen rescue program for unwanted queen.   If you send them to me,  I will make sure they live out the rest of their lives in a peaceful well maintained bee yard with no threat of being euthanized.

Rob.....

 :laugh: :D :laugh:
Rob, you're killin me here.

Apparently I fell off the turnip truck not too long ago, cause I actually had the opinion that folks want "new" queens, not the 2013 model.

Apis, for the life of me I have tried every which way but Sunday to get my son active in the bee yard, but video games apparently have much more relevance to real life than bees.  :sad:
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Offline Jen

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Re: Queen question
« Reply #10 on: June 15, 2014, 06:33:17 pm »
Rob- "You don't want to get a bad reputation of selling old queens and I know you don't just want to kill them.  But the good news is I can help you out.  Just recently (today)  I have started a queen rescue program for unwanted queen.   If you send them to me,  I will make sure they live out the rest of their lives in a peaceful well maintained bee yard with no threat of being euthanized.

   Hey Rob - a much respected forum member of the female persuasion mentioned to me how kind and caring you are...  I really had no idea....   :D

Perry- "for the life of me I have tried every which way but Sunday to get my son active in the bee yard, but video games apparently have much more relevance to real life than bees.

    I hear ya Perry, my 6 year old granddaughter is spending the weekend with us, I feel like I only have maybe 3-5 more years left of quality time before she has her face planted in a smartphone :(
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Offline LazyBkpr

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Re: Queen question
« Reply #11 on: June 15, 2014, 10:46:35 pm »
we disconnected the TV and Internet for nearly ten years. Our entertainment was the occasional rented movie. My kids didnt get TV or internet back until they were about 14. Oh, they had to use the land line if they wanted to use the phone too.
   Now days it may be considered as a form of abuse if you were to disconnect them. Might want to check with Blueblood see if its even legal to do so...      ;D
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Offline riverbee

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Re: Queen question
« Reply #12 on: June 15, 2014, 11:44:23 pm »
Perry,
You don't want to get a bad reputation of selling old queens and I know you don't just want to kill them.  But the good news is I can help you out.  Just recently (today)  I have started a queen rescue program for unwanted queen.   If you send them to me,  I will make sure they live out the rest of their lives in a peaceful well maintained bee yard with no threat of being euthanized.
Rob....."

................ :D :D :D  totally funny stuff!!!
robs queen rescue service.....
okay, so everyone send rob all your unwanted or old queens........ :D
rob, you are going to be sorry you said this, cuz IT WILL come back to haunt you........ :D
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Offline Jen

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Re: Queen question
« Reply #13 on: June 16, 2014, 12:14:19 am »
Scott- "we disconnected the TV and Internet for nearly ten years. Our entertainment was the occasional rented movie. My kids didnt get TV or internet back until they were about 14. Oh, they had to use the land line if they wanted to use the phone too.

     Now there's an idea! When she comes to gramma Jen's house, the phone stays home... I wonder how long that will work... Oh yeah, until she gets her first boyfriend...  shhhuudddeerrrr
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Offline apisbees

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Re: Queen question
« Reply #14 on: June 16, 2014, 02:17:38 am »
If the phone stays home where do you think she will stay??? With her phone, at home, and Jen will be alone...
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Offline LazyBkpr

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Re: Queen question
« Reply #15 on: June 16, 2014, 03:57:53 pm »
Quote from: apisbees on June 16, 2014, 02:17:38 am
If the phone stays home where do you think she will stay??? With her phone, at home, and Jen will be alone...

   Yep.. and by the time they figure out what they missed, they WILL terribly regret it, because by then it will be too late.  I make my 25 year old daughter leave her phone in the truck when were working...
   Used to be we joked about checking if the ice on the pond would support us..   Toss a phone out on the ice and call it...  Eventually she would panic and go for the phone..... 
   I don't have grandkids, but have nieces and nephews etc..  I love to play on the computer with them, but they also know there is a time it all gets shut down so we can do other things. They decide they dont want to shut it down then they are asked to leave and not come back until they can.
   I like the computer enough that if I had one at that age I would probably be a fat little butter ball now...   HEY! I meant WORSE than I am now!
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