Too late to raise queens?

[Dan163]

I bought a lovely queen at the start of July and she's doing great.  But I could really use a couple more like her for other hives I've got (that are aggressive and swarm like mad).

Is it too late in the season to try raising a few queens from her offspring?  Should I try next spring instead?

I'm in British Columbia near the coast.  It's dry, with little forage right now, but will be cool and wet starting in September or October (and still little forage then).

Thanks,
Dan

[Michael Bush]

I don't know about British Columbia, but as long as there are drones flying you can keep rearing queens.

[TwT]

yup, thats any location, as long as you have drones you can raise queens......

[Michael Bush]

  I guess my point was I was trying to pick something that was not regional.  Drones, of course, are the real issue.  Here, most years, I can rear queens up until the first hard freeze kills the blooms. Some years that's October.  Some years it's September.  Some years it's even November.

[TwT]

you explained it perfect in the above post MB, no need for the other post, we understand!!

[Dan163]

Hmmm.... someone's going to make a million bucks selling T-shirts with the slogan "Got Drones?", aren't they?

Thank you both.... there's definitely drones around... so I will give it a try.

[Understudy]

In SoFla that is year round. 

Winter my bees? I don't think so.


Sincerely,
Brendhan

[Cindi]

Dan, hey I am pretty close to you, about 45 km northeast of Vancouver.  You know our weather is similar, we have good bee weather up until about the middle of October, then frost kill.  Yours are probably pretty close.  I have a queen that I think I am going to kill, she has issues with chalkbrood, so I guess I am going to have to become that brutal bee queen slayer, against my nature, but......do I want a chalkbroody colony?  I should have done this some time ago, but thought I would give her a chance.  Nope, probably on my agenda in the next couple of days, when I can get up the guts to do this dreadful deed.  Have a wonderful and beautiful day and life, great health.  Cindi

[Dan163]

Cindi, I did the dreadful deed and dequeened one of my problem hives on the weekend.  I've gotten used to killing workers/drones, but still feel bad about the premeditated murder of a queen.  However, the hive in question has not produced honey for six years.  Instead it has swarmed multiple times each year.  This year it cast at least 3 or 4 swarms and one of those swarms subsequently swarmed. I'm single-handedly replacing the feral bee population!

I had a good look through all the hives. The drone population in our yard has definitely plummeted already.  There is almost no drone brood being raised and only a fraction of the drones that I had just a month ago.  I'm guessing it was because we had a late, wet, cold spring and a very dry summer.  Lots of overcast, but the clouds mostly keep going until they hit the Lower Mainland before dropping their rain.

So I am going to hold off and raise the new queens in late winter/early spring 2008.

[kathyp]

the whole PNW was nasty this year.  dane did ok, but he lives in a swamp.

cindi, it was my chalkbrood queen that i knocked off also.  chalkbrood had cleared up, but hive never built up well.  noticed a couple of weeks ago that chalkbrood was back.  OFF WITH HER HEAD! 

anyway...let me know how yours turns out.  i had at least on good queen cell that should be hatching out in the next couple of days.  weather is already fall like, but spotted a couple of drone still.

[Dane Bramage]

the whole PNW was nasty this year.  dane did ok, but he lives in a swamp.

  It's in an... enchanted forest, abundant in squirrels, and cute little duckies...   

[abejaruco]

noticed a couple of weeks ago that chalkbrood was back.  OFF WITH HER HEAD! 

¡VIVA LA REVOLUCIÓN! 

[Michael Bush]

Another thing with chalkbrood is that full sun often clears it up.  It may or may not be the queen, it may be the ventilation.