Course Details

This course is a basic 'nuts and bolts' course showing participants Bob's proven method of breeding queens over the years. The arrival of the varroa mite to our region means that best practice will require us to requeen our hives annually and you'll learn how to do it from this hands-on course. It will also enable you to decide whether you'd like to develop your skills as a queen breeder who markets queens, breed better quality queens and decide how to alter your own gear for developing mating nucs.
This course is over two main sessions - The first session Oct 31st is consists of 2 sessions - theory and looking at gear used (booklet provided) and after lunch, grafting larvae into cups on cellbars ready to place them into the cell builder hives. The second session, November 14th is morning only- possibly marking queens and adding nurse bee attendants to queen cages ready to take home. This is a great time to have a cuppa while we recap learnings and ask questions....then it's up to you to take the queens home and put them into mating nucs or straight into queenless hives if you wish.

There will also be opportunities to assist at the hives in between those two dates and keep abreast of what's happening via What's app where comments, pictures and questions will be shared.