Breeding the Honeybee

Nick Milne is a third-generation beekeeper and owner-operator of Blue Sky Queen Bees and Backyard Bees in Nelson, New Zealand. 

2:31 Working in Canada 

4:05 Kids and bees 

6:08 Getting into queen rearing 

8:21 Queen breeding in New Zealand and colour 

12:55 Pyramid structure for queen breeding 

14:50 Bringing in mated queens for genetic diversity 

16:18 Bringing in cells for genetic diversity 

16:38 Rea Butler

17:23 VSH drone lines 

19:34 Selling queen cells 

22:01 What Nick sells 

23:00 Nick’s other business - Backyard Bees 

27:04 Where to find Nick online

https://backyardbees.nz/

https://buyqueenbees.nz/

Guide to shipping queen cells as discussed in the episode 

https://www.projectapism.org/resources You’ll find the download link if you scroll down. 

Join the podcast Facebook community group - This is a great place to comment on the episode, share some of your own tips or just say hi!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/breedingthehoneybee

Podcast proudly brought to you by 

Brent Nixon at Nixon Queen Bees (Ballarat VIC, Australia)

https://nixonqueenbees.com.au/

Rob and Ron have been working together in the West Australian bee industry for many years. Together they run a breeding program using instrumental insemination which Ron learnt from Gretchen Wheen and Sue Cobey. In this episode we discuss bee breeding, the Rottnest program, Joe Horner’s drone rearing and the story of the Karri tree, which Rob is writing a book about. 

1:30 When Rob and Ron started working together

3:14 Rottnest breeding program

5:14 Gretchen Wheen and Mathilde 'Tilly' Kühnert

7:14 When Ron Learnt Instrumental insemination 

7:52 Sue Cobey visits Australia in 2009

9:33 Challenges of Instrumental insemination

12:00 Joe Horner’s drone rearing system

14:02 Drone drift

15:37 Queens you can get from Rob and Ron

19:20 Rob’s book on the Karri forest in Western Australia 

22:29 Baiting 

Comment or leave feedback on the episode post in the Facebook group for this podcast 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/breedingthehoneybee

Record a soundbite about your queen rearing here 

https://nixonqueenbees.com.au/pages/podcast 

This podcast is proudly brought to you by Brent Nixon at Nixon Queen Bees in Ballarat Australia. Email Brent at [email protected]

Episode Music

https://audionautix.com/

Cory Stevens is a VSH queen breeder from Missouri, USA. He has a business called Steven’s Bee Company which offers AI VSH breeder queens, VSH virgin queens and raw honey free of miticides and antibiotics.

Cory's Website and Facebook
https://www.stevensbeeco.com/
https://www.facebook.com/stevensbeeco

Comment or leave feedback on the episode post in the Facebook group for this podcast 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/breedingthehoneybee

Record a soundbite about your queen rearing here 

https://nixonqueenbees.com.au/pages/podcast 

This podcast is proudly brought to you by Brent Nixon at Nixon Queen Bees in Ballarat Australia. Email Brent at [email protected]

00:00 Introduction

1:50 Guest question - Matt Crane - Is there a correlation between colour and VSH?

3:20 Guest question - Steve Sammut - Is there a correlation between UBeeO and VSH?

5:00 Guest question - Paul Roder - Is there a correlation between bald brood and VHS?

7:00 Cory’s commercial program in which he sends out breeders and gets back high performing F1s

8:50 How the F1s in the program are assessed 

10:07 UbeeO and overwintering 

12:53 Harbo Assay

13:42 Are F1s in the program treated?

17:16 What traits are desirable in returning F1s?

19:10 Colour and VSH - Harbo

Episode Music

https://audionautix.com/

Mary is in Sparta Georgia and has a business called BeeCo Apiaries. Together with her daughter, Mary sells honey, nucs and small scale locally mated queens. 

2:17 Getting into queen rearing 

5:25 Lines of queens Mary uses 

7:30 Survivor stock 

8:15 Cell raising method 

11:30 Mating nucs 

13:30 Advice to people who are thinking of getting into queen rearing as a sideline 

15:50 What Mary is offering in her business this season

17:57 Where to find Mary

Mary’s Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/beecoapiaries

Mary’s Website 

https://www.beecoapiaries.com/

Mary’s Instagram 

https://www.instagram.com/beecoapiaries/

Join the podcast Facebook community group - This is a great place to comment on the episode, share some of your own tips or just say hi!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/breedingthehoneybee

Podcast proudly brought to you by 

Brent Nixon at Nixon Queen Bees (Ballarat VIC, Australia)

https://nixonqueenbees.com.au/

Email Brent 

[email protected]

Instagram: 

https://www.instagram.com/nixonqueenbees/

Facebook: 

https://www.facebook.com/nixonqueenbees/

YouTube: 

https://www.youtube.com/@NixonQueenBees

Episode Music 

https://audionautix.com/

Shibu is a Queen breeder in Columbia Tennessee. He sells queens, nucs and AI equipment, which he also offers training for. At the time of releasing this episode Shibu had just had a tornado go through his property and cause a lot of destruction. Below is the link to the gofundme which you can follow if you would like to support Shibu in rebuilding his business. 

Help Shibu get back on track

https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-shibu-rajs-tornado-recovery?attribution_id=sl:c3f0948f-fdba-4966-8209-8dcf623c6040&utm_campaign=m_pd+share-sheet&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook 

https://www.facebook.com/2RiversHoneyBees

https://www.tworivershoneybees.com/

Contact Brent 

[email protected]

Episode Music

Brandon is a queen breeder and the 3rd generation beekeeper from North Carolina USA. His business, Foothill Farm and Apiary offers nucs, production queens and breeders. In this episode Brandon tells us what it was like starting a breeding program with artificial insemination.

0:00 Introduction

2:00 A family of beekeepers 

4:00 Brandon’s breeding program

4:35 Allogrooming

7:58 Learning AI

9:54 Introducing AI queens

14:16 Drones

16:00 AI - Is it worth it?

17:13 Being treatment free for mites 

19:40 1500 chicken egg incubator for queen cells 

21:20 Where you can find Brandon online

22:05 Sting Stoppers (A bee suit suit company Brandon is affiliated with)

Email Brandon [email protected] 

https://www.facebook.com/foothillsfarmandapiary/ 

Sting Stoppers Bee Suits https://stingstopper.buzz/?sca_ref=5347826.Bpf4wrrNuN

Join the podcast Facebook community group - This is a great place to comment on the episode, share some of your own tips or just say hi!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/breedingthehoneybee

Podcast proudly brought to you by 

Brent Nixon at Nixon Queen Bees (Ballarat VIC, Australia)

https://nixonqueenbees.com.au/

Email Brent 

[email protected]

Instagram: 

https://www.instagram.com/nixonqueenbees/

Facebook: 

https://www.facebook.com/nixonqueenbees/

YouTube: 

https://www.youtube.com/@NixonQueenBees

https://audionautix.com/

Episode Music

Willie Robson is the biggest keeper of the old English black bee in the world. His family business is Chain Bridge Honey Farm, which was established in 1948 by Willie’s father. Willie has been working in the business since 1962 and now works alongside his wife and children. Chain Bridge Honey Farm is based in Horncliffe which is in the UK but right on the Scottish border. 

00:00 Introduction

2:18 The biggest English black bee breeder in the world 

7:50 Total Natural Immunity 

9:45 Varroa and Willie’s bees

10:30 Working with black bees 

11:30 Black bee reserves 

12:15 The future of the black bee in the UK

13:12 Willie’s favourite part about beekeeping

14:15 Chain Bridge Honey Farm showroom 

16:30 Advice to new beekeepers 

17:30 Brother Adam

Check out willie’s business website 

https://www.chainbridgehoney.com/

Join the podcast Facebook community group - This is a great place to comment on the episode, share some of your own tips or just say hi!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/breedingthehoneybee

Podcast proudly brought to you by 

Brent Nixon at Nixon Queen Bees (Ballarat VIC, Australia)

https://nixonqueenbees.com.au/

Email Brent 

[email protected]

Instagram: 

https://www.instagram.com/nixonqueenbees/

Facebook: 

https://www.facebook.com/nixonqueenbees/

YouTube: 

https://www.youtube.com/@NixonQueenBees

Episode Music

https://audionautix.com/

Brad is a Canadian honey producer. He raises many of his own queens and makes the majority of his hardware. You can find Brad online at Faith Apiaries. Make sure to check out his YouTube channel where he does instructional videos and weekly vlogs.  

6:00 Brad’s apiary setup

6:50 2 queen systems 

11:04 3 nucs over 2 10 frames 

13:14 Zombie colonies 

16:44 OTS queen rearing

22:12 Wintering mating nucs

23:57 double screens with mating nucs

Brad’s YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/c/FaithApiaries-ThatBeeMan

Brad’s Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/FaithApiaries 

Join the podcast Facebook community group - This is a great place to comment on the episode, share some of your own tips or just say hi!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/breedingthehoneybee

Podcast proudly brought to you by 

Brent Nixon at Nixon Queen Bees (Ballarat VIC, Australia)

https://nixonqueenbees.com.au/

Email Brent 

[email protected]

Instagram: 

https://www.instagram.com/nixonqueenbees/

Facebook: 

https://www.facebook.com/nixonqueenbees/

YouTube: 

https://www.youtube.com/@NixonQueenBees

Episode Music

https://audionautix.com/

Ian Steppler is a Canadian beekeeper who breeds his own line of bees. Ian has unique cell raising and mating nuc styles that are well suited to short season commercial beekeeping. In this episode Ian goes into his cell raising process and mating nucs as well as explaining why he raises his own queens. Ian has a YouTube channel called A Canadian Beekeeper’s Blog. In this episode we discuss a lot of the things that you can see in this video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouifrZvFn1U

00:00 Intro

2:18 Bringing in breeding stock 

5:30 When Ian started raising his own stock

8:30 Cell builders 

21:00 Mating nucs 

You can follow Ian’s work on his YouTube Channel or on his website - https://www.stepplerfarms.com/ 

Join the podcast Facebook community group - This is a great place to comment on the episode, share some of your own tips or just say hi!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/breedingthehoneybee

Podcast proudly brought to you by 

Brent Nixon at Nixon Queen Bees (Ballarat VIC, Australia)

https://nixonqueenbees.com.au/

Email Brent 

[email protected]

Instagram: 

https://www.instagram.com/nixonqueenbees/

Facebook: 

https://www.facebook.com/nixonqueenbees/

YouTube: 

https://www.youtube.com/@NixonQueenBees

Episode Music

https://audionautix.com/

Laurence Edwards is a beekeeper based in Northern Wales. He runs a business called ‘Black Mountain Honey’ which produces honey, nucs and queens as well as other services.

https://www.blackmountainhoney.co.uk/

https://www.youtube.com/@BlackMountainHoney

0:46 YouTubing

4:00 Buckfast and AMM

6:51 Duncan Simmons queens

8:47 UK mated queens

10:21 Variation in Buckfast lines

11:30 Cell building methods 

14:00 How to find Laurence online

15:25 What is Laurence selling 

Join the podcast facebook community group

www.facebook.com/groups/breedingthehoneybee

Podcast proudly brought to you by 

Brent Nixon at Nixon Queen Bees (Ballarat VIC, Australia)

https://nixonqueenbees.com.au/

Email Brent 

[email protected]

Instagram: 

https://www.instagram.com/nixonqueenbees/

Facebook: 

https://www.facebook.com/nixonqueenbees/

YouTube: 

https://www.youtube.com/@NixonQueenBees

Episode Music

https://audionautix.com/