Author Topic: Hey Zweefer (Read 8451 times)

Woody Roberts · « **on:** June 20, 2014, 06:23:42 pm »

Got my queens from Eberts today. Installed them with a couple frames of brood and a couple assorted food frames. The bees seemed pretty friendly toward them. If their not out of their cages in a couple days I may let them out.

They seem really tiny. I believe my virgins could eat them for lunch and need a snack afterwards. However we'll see what they look like in a couple weeks.

Have you got yours yet?

riverbee · « **Reply #1 on:** June 21, 2014, 12:18:09 am »

hmmm, wondering about this, tiny queens woody?

zweefer sent me a message and haven't connected with him, (phone tag) so now am concerned after reading your post.....

you guys keep us posted! i am the one that suggested ebert's.......

Zweefer · « **Reply #2 on:** June 23, 2014, 12:41:05 am »

At Cub Scout camp until tues... I got my queen Fri, and had just enough time to find and punch the old one, wait as long as I dared to, then put the new one in before we left town. Hoping I come back to a queen that is released , and laying properly.

Zweefer · « **Reply #3 on:** June 23, 2014, 12:41:45 am »

Did have this in my phone though...

Jen · « **Reply #4 on:** June 23, 2014, 01:01:32 am »

Sending you healthy queen mojo Zweef !!

Woody Roberts · « **Reply #5 on:** June 23, 2014, 12:30:03 pm »

I'm curious about the size of yours. Mine are 1/8" longer than a worker but nowhere as big around. I'm wondering if they sent me virgins by mistake.

I direct released them the second day on two frames with a little brood on them. By the next day it seemed there wasn't many bees in either box so I added another frame heavy with brood and bees.

That afternoon I found one hiding out on a wall frame and can't find the other. When the one that was hiding came out with the bees they didn't seem threatening but she seemed afraid of them.

It doesn't really matter, in my early days I raised lots of underfed queens and none of them were worth a dime. I know one when I see one.

I'll give them a few days before I contact Eberts.

riverbee · « **Reply #6 on:** June 23, 2014, 01:55:52 pm »

"It doesn't really matter, in my early days I raised lots of underfed queens and none of them were worth a dime. I know one when I see one.
I'll give them a few days before I contact Eberts."

hmmm, read your post woody, doesn't sound ideal, and yes i would agree 'underfed'. i hope zweefer wasn't given the same.....i will feel very badly (already am) for recommending them. all the keeps i know who use eberts for queens have been very happy.

apisbees · « **Reply #7 on:** June 23, 2014, 02:54:52 pm »

We get small queens some times that come from small mating nucs that the queen has not been allowed much time to lay before being caged so a new cell can be placed in the nuc. Bee breeders also use the first in first out and will ship the queens that he has held the longest so at times it not like your queen is getting pulled from full laying duty and caged and you are introducing her 2 days later. In most cases though she will fatten up once she starts laying.

Woody Roberts · « **Reply #8 on:** June 23, 2014, 05:56:58 pm »

Apis
I agree. That's why I'll wait a few before contacting them. When / if I do I'm not looking for anything I just want them to know I'm displeased. Once she starts laying I may not be. Shortly after seeing eggs I'll raise some queens from these since all I wanted was to put some new genetics in the area.

Riverbee
Don't feel bad for the recommendation. As said if I can get some new blood from them that was all I was after. Two queens is not a big enough sample to call someone a bad queen breeder.

I'm thinking about ordering two more from them just to see what they look like.

As a side note I've only bought one other queen in my life. A Russian from Walter Kelly. It was also very small.
It also acted just like my early underfed queens. She never could seem to build up past two or three frames of brood and since I left my openings completely open in those days ( because that's what beekeeping for dummies said to do ) once we hit a bad dearth that was the end of that hive and every other hive I had except for one six frame nuc. All my bees can be traced back to this one nuc.

LazyBkpr · « **Reply #9 on:** June 23, 2014, 07:36:05 pm »

I know of several keeps that have queens from Adam and have not heard any complaints. I have spoken with both Adam and Phil on occasion and both seem quite knowledgeable. Phil runs the honey side of the business and Adam the queen rearing.
I have not ordered from them because they still run generic queens and I want resistant or survivor stock, so I can't comment on any personal experience with their bees.. They do have some pretty darn good honey!

Woody Roberts · « **Reply #10 on:** June 23, 2014, 08:35:44 pm »

Perhaps their fine. I don't have anything to compare them to except the ones I raise. My virgins are always bigger than a worker. Not much bigger around but noticeablely longer. Even before they start laying they will be obviously a queen. Without the paint these would be hard to pick out of a frame with 50 bees on it.

riverbee · « **Reply #11 on:** June 23, 2014, 08:49:16 pm »

"Riverbee
Don't feel bad for the recommendation. As said if I can get some new blood from them that was all I was after. Two queens is not a big enough sample to call someone a bad queen breeder.
I'm thinking about ordering two more from them just to see what they look like.thanks woody, like you, have had not so good experiences with small queens...."

thanks woody, like you i have had some not so good experiences with small queens, and yes, 2 queens are not a big enough sample to merit badge someone with 'bad queen breeder'........

'generic queens' scott ? well, a current education for me about where their current stock comes from:
from eberts website:

"Adam Ebert handles our queen bees out of his location in Cedar Rapids.
In the spring, queens are brought in from Koehnen & Sons out of California for sale. Adam begins raising his own Iowa queens once the weather becomes favorable for queen rearing. The Iowa queens are often started in June."

From CF Koehnen and Sons website on queens:

"Carniolan
At the request of beekeepers in colder climates of the Northern states, we also produce the Carniolan cross. Our Carniolan breeders are mated in an isolated area and observed for a year prior to use in our breeding program. The Carniolan virgins are mated with our Italian drones, resulting in an excellent mix of both Italian and Carniolan traits which many customers prefer. The queen exhibits typical Carniolan overwintering behavior, and her offspring posess the gentleness of our Italians."

sorta says it all to me......get queens in the spring? and graft from them to produce your own daughter queens in june? or are selling koehnen and sons queens? not sure what's going on. ? might ask woody. not sure how these could be considered 'iowa queens'.....? troubled about this.
even if one grafted on the first day of june, considering mating flights, that queen would not be mated until let's say the 22nd (weather dependent) and maybe laying on the 27th of June.....? iowa has had some crappy weather as we have. it's only june 23.

you guys can correct me on my general grafting/queen rearing 'calendar', but how can you call these iowa queens?

so sorry, and i am truly embarrassed.

rodmaker · « **Reply #12 on:** June 24, 2014, 12:11:36 am »

Just a comment i had one queen i raised that was small for about two weeks i was going to replace her and when i was looking to kill her found a very big queen . It could be you received a queen that was not laying very long and has not yet fully developed.

LazyBkpr · « **Reply #13 on:** June 24, 2014, 12:20:00 am »

by generic I am referring to bees that are not from VSH, Hygienic or survivor stock that have some resistance to mites.
When I get packages I let them get rolling, and when I can get or make queens from resistant stock I replace the "generic" queens, and that is what my current effort at producing queens is geared toward.
Having good local bees that winter well is a sure fire bonus, but by the time I am 70 I don't want to have to treat for mites.. more time to lean on my walker and drink rum!

Jen · « **Reply #14 on:** June 24, 2014, 01:23:36 am »

Scott! Surely by now you have heard that beeks live well into their healthy 90's... That means you have 40 more years to go Mister!

Woody Roberts · « **Reply #15 on:** June 24, 2014, 09:34:27 pm »

I got chance to peek at the bees tonight and took my camera. One of my Eberts queens is no longer with us. Queen cells are already started. The other seems to be doing fine and i saw a few eggs that i dont believe was there on Sunday. I could be wrong, I will check in a week or so.
I believe she has grown since i saw her last.

This is my Eberts queen

This is a queen i recently raised that hasnt started laying yet? There is a few scattered cells with larva. Drone I believe. She better get with the program. Her window is closing fast.

This is one of my rainy month queens. Her first round of brood just hatched out.

This is a sister by another mister to the previous queen. Her first round of brood is hatching as we speak.

Zweefer · « **Reply #16 on:** June 27, 2014, 10:57:19 am »

returned to find the cage empty (thankfully!) but no sign of the queen... I will look this weekend (tomorrow most likely) when i have some more time...
as for the queens, she was bigger than the one I was replacing, but that truly isn't saying much

Zweefer · « **Reply #17 on:** June 28, 2014, 04:53:19 pm »

She is safe in her new home...
Now to give her some time...

How long before theoretically will she start laying? I put her in last Friday, released sometime between Sunday and Tuesday...

Woody Roberts · « **Reply #18 on:** June 28, 2014, 06:18:42 pm »

Was in mine today. Never could find the queen but did have eggs and just hatched larva.

riverbee · « **Reply #19 on:** June 28, 2014, 06:54:58 pm »

nice pic of your queen zweefer, you too woody, thanks for the pictures.

"How long before theoretically will she start laying? I put her in last Friday, released sometime between Sunday and Tuesday..."

okay, that's a can of worms question..........theoretically...........

i would not check on her again for 7-10 days, she 'should' be laying by then......

give her that time, go from there.......sometimes queens take longer than others. some right out of the cage within a few days of release, some a little longer.