Beekeeping | Is Replacing Your Queen Yearly Worth It Or Worthless?

[@dalefriedhoff4098]

Hi David, Great video, full of great information and very well done! Thank You. I manage my hives utilizing Mel Disselkoen's "On the Spot (OTS) Queen Rearing Methods". I actually replace all of my queens in the spring and then I also replace them again after the summer solstice. The queens that are replaced are sold as the queen inside a nuc, or sold as an individual queen or they are dispatched. I never buy queens, all of my queens are provided utilizing OTS methods. OTS also provides two brood breaks per year, which is very helpful in controlling the varroa mite. By managing my hives utilizing OTS methods, my queens are never more than one year old. I believe in young queens, dead mites and good nutrition. Dale E. Friedhoff

[@wpankey57]

Your dad sounds like he was really great father. I've heard you speak about him in previous videos. You're a lucky man and he was a lucky pops.

[@lizsuits8401]

My boys (ages 13 & 11) just finished your ultimate beekeeping course and LOVED every minute! They excitedly told me all the things they learned and we ended up watching some of it again together. We gave them bee suits for Christmas and they are learning all they can now to start their own hobby hive this spring, hoping eventually to turn it into a side business for themselves. Thank you so much for making these videos and passing your expertise on to the next generation and also for making this so exciting and fun for my boys! I can't wait to see them extract their first comb of honey!

[@beek]

Wow, this means so much to me.

[@j.clarkhelton7883]

I'm a new 2022 worker bee killer . David is helping me to be a beekeeper . I'm having a hard time killing one on purpose . Again , David is helping me to understand that more education and correct knowledge is key .

[@beek]

Like I mentioned to Rob in a comment, I hate killing bees and the way I came to terms with this type of testing is that a colony is a single organism. To treat humans with cancer other healthy cells usually have to be killed as well to save the greater organism. I view 300 bees as single cells that can save the greater organism. The queen lays 1000-2000 eggs a day during our testing season, so 300 per month out of 45,000 is only 0.66%, a small amount to save 60,000 bees for months and years to come.

[@diannemiller4754]

What a thoughtful gift. Your wife surely knows your heart. Replacing queen each year. I'll have to put a note on my calendar for July to consider this. My queen will be two years in hive this spring.

[@TerryWheelyabarrabackApiary]

Thank you for introducing me to Rocket Book. I'm hopeless with using my phone for note taking. this will make it much easier for my wife and I to share notes on Bee Keeping. 🙂

[@aaronrobinson4266]

David I really enjoy your videos, I always seem to learn something. I also like how you reminisce about your dad. I too hold my dad on a lofty perch. I think what we need as a country is more dads like ours. God Bless in the new year.

[@beek]

Yup, lot to be said about strong dads.

[@lshaffer1980]

I just read a book where they replace there queens every August. That creates a brood break which helps with Veroa and gives enough time for the queen to lay for the winter.

[@3boysbees]

First year beek here. Planning on keeping fresh queens. You are doing a good job on content creation. I enjoy the videos.

[@beek]

Thank you Joe

[@tricky6744]

I used to have a Palm Pilot. When it came out it was a super useful tool. Thanks for posting this video. It has given me something to think about. I had to requeen a hive later last summer due to what I think was a pesticide event. Didn’t do the other two because they seemed OK. In hindsight I wished I had done all three. The re queened hive was much stronger going into winter than the other two. Bummer but I have learned something if I have analyzed this correctly. My state bee inspector agrees. Replacing the Queen annually seems like a solid strategy.

[@beek]

That's it, a Palm Pilot!

[@loislangley2975]

Muy Queen failed last winter. Luckily club president gave me 2 frames brood, which failed to produce a queen cell, then he gave me 2 frames with 3 queen cells. Ended up with 2 Queens. Now have 2 hives so if this happens again I will have another to borrow brood from. So your June is our December in Loch Lomond Queensland Australia. So next December I will see how they are going. Thank you for this information. Happy New Year. Hopefully everyone gets all they need.

[@petpilgrimgoose]

Thanks so much Dave! Happy New Year!~Adam and Mary in NH

[@vincekeenan5919]

Thanks for the half price courses. I bought the Queen rearing course. Hopefully I can raise my own queens, so I have a queen when I need one.

[@beek]

Super!

[@drewo1494]

Great content! Happy New Year.

[@robertmathurin739]

All the Best For The New Year Mr Burns and Family, 🇱🇨👍🏿♥️

[@brownlmatt]

Great advice thank you for sharing your experience with us 🇺🇸

[@markcross3629]

I do but not because I want too but because my hive's die out every year! So, with your guidance and classes and feeding and treatment methods my hive are still alive! So looking forward to springtime and will see if I can raise a new queen in springtime. Thank you for your guidance!

[@beek]

Fingers crossed 🤞

[@garyRt23Bees]

I will keep a queen as long as she is producing eggs well. " If it isn't broke, don't fix it!" LOL But even strong laying queens seem to start slacking off around the third year. But normally they get replaced once a year anyhow.

[@framcesmoore]

Ha David good to see u this was a good video I always enjoy them. on the queens I always bought them in the mail, some of the queens do not lay when I get them and the ones that are good queens my hives have always replaced them anyway, I do not know why but they do All my hives have brand new queens but not one of them are the store bought queens, I have found it is a waist of money to buy them so now I am doing my own I did some last year I did not graft going to try that this year, my hives made cells and I took all but one out and made splits with them I also removed the queen if could find her, and left them a cell they were going to kill her any way so made a split with her I gave her capped brood from other hives to build her up. I check on the hives regular if need to I combine the hives that are not of my liking right now I have 37 hives and I can not handle much more I work a full time job I cut 10 yards a week on the side for work I am a CARE giver of a 92 year old man and have the hives to do to do much more I do not think i can. again thanks for the videos u do a great job Have a blessed 2022

[@russellsamson1828]

Like your idea of the rocket notebook Thank you

[@beek]

Thanks

[@livingadamman7994]

Thank you David !

[@beek]

You're welcome

[@reck9953]

I watch all your videos… can you please tell in which video did you recommend books? I can’t seem to find it. Looking for some good reading material that’s educational. I know you mentioned a book L.L.Langstroth … when are writing an advance beekeeping book? Thanks for all you do. I’ve also read all your early beekeeping lessons✌️

[@cathiefox7143]

Just signed up for your class on queen rearing. My bees have raised their own queen replacement in all my hives for the past 3 years. I want to gain control of my queen rearing and not allow my bees to make the choice. Unfortunately, I have never developed the skill of picking up the queen for marking so destroying them makes it unmentionable. Will you do a video on queen marking? What are your thoughts? Any other suggestions?

[@gregoryscott5063]

Thanks for info about Rocket book; that's me note taker.

[@rose2525bud]

✍🏼Happy ✍🏼New ✍🏼Year! Love ✍🏼 Your ✍🏼 videos ✍🏼!! 🍯🐝🍯

[@bigdoghoney8853]

Arrgh, missed it again. Just watched this and missed the discount offer on your courses. When do you anticipate having that offer again?

[@beek]

Nothing that I know of in the near future.

[@coltonchristjohn680]

Happy new year david. Great content. I want to experiment with raising queens in 2 frame nucs this year for insurance for my own hives. When I need to replace the original queen from one of my 10 frame hives, I can pull a queen from the mating nuc and put her in the 10 frame. So my question is 1) have you ever experimented with 2 frame mating nucs and 2) how many bees would you say are needed to make their own queen from a mating nuc that the queen was pulled out of?

[@chuckroast7053]

Mr. Burns, I have a question regarding the marking of queens. Is it recommended to use water based paint markers, or can oil based markers be used.

[@beek]

I would only use the designated queen marking pens as I know they have never negatively impacted my queens.

[@sajindranathkovattil5412]

How can join the course..

[@ncut5547]

So watt do we do with the old queen when we get our new 1 thk u ..

[@beek]

Move her to a 5 frame convalescent home and let her live out her life. 😃

[@loudimel5068]

Again David Thank you can’t wait for the next one

[@beek]

Thanks for watching Lou

[@agirlandhercows501]

great tips thanks for sharing

[@beek]

Awesome, glad you like the channel.

[@shegocrazy]

I replace every 2 years but I really hate doing it. It is taught as "good practice" down here as after 2 years the queen phoneme levels are low and she will be thrown out in due course. Egg laying also starts getting patchy. Swarms are regarded as a nuisance and something to be avoided.

[@russellsamson1828]

Do you have a guide of the records you keep?

[@beek]

I've kept records in so many different ways, even on my palm pilot way back, but now I just use scientific notebooks.

[@CoffeeNo0b0514]

I think frequent queen replacement is worth it. About every 18 months. Especially if you are using your own queens and not buying them.

[@beek]

Yes, much easier when you can raise your own queens.

[@Hendrik.A.L]

You said to replace the queen in late summer around June 22. Did you mean to say late spring?

[@beek]

True, June 22nd is the start of summer. There really isn't a magic date to replace the queen. But I've read many references to the summer solstice, which is June 21st.

[@stevenmartin3839]

HEY DAVE GLAD TO CATCH THIS. IT BE VERY IMPORTANT INFO I NEED TO PUT IN MY NOTEBOOK I HAVE BOUGHT YOUR BOOK BACKYARD BEEKEEPING FROM AMAZON. I HOPE IT BE BEST ME HAVE HELP ME START MY BEEKEEPING WHEN I'M READY I'LL USE IT AS A GUILD BOOK.. ILL BE STUDYING IT . . GOD BLESS

[@beek]

Good to hear!

[@johnvanderslice7966]

They know when to replace queen. A late summer or fall failure is a different matter. IMHO.

[@Mz.Stephanie]

I used to use friction pens but if it gets too warm your work disappears!

[@beek]

Good to know

[@loislangley2975]

Being in Australia would your courses be useful for my circumstances.

[@beek]

Yes

[@stevenmartin3839]

I THOUGHT TO REPLACE QUEEN FOR 2 YR AND REPLACE HER TO SET HER FREE. IF MY QUEEN IS BAD YES I KNOW TO REPLACES HER.

[@michaelraulerson1149]

Very cool

[@beek]

Thank you

[@dwaynelevandowski5506]

You gotta wonder how many wild hives fail using your same criteria.

[@originalwoolydragon8387]

I'd would think about replacement if I could reliably find the old queen...😄

[@beek]

It can be tough

[@bryanbetournay5557]

Palm Pilot. Hahaha. I had one too early '90's

[@beek]

Mine is probably still in a box or draw somewhere

[@Waiex55]

David, I enjoy your videos and find them extremely helpful. However this video I find it distractive that you keep changing cameras and camera angles. I have noticed that many people are doing this now and it is the new thing similar to a few years ago stroboscopic videos were the fad.

[@jimlowery3945]

I accused you of having infomercials. I take it back you really are trying to help beekeepers and just trying to make a living while trying to help beekeepers thanks for the helping at the time I did not know you had posted how to make your own honey be kind boards. Please accept my apologies

[@beek]

Wow, thanks Jim and very kind comment. I appreciate it. You're a good man.

[@petrafischer6599]

It’s absolutely worth it for the queen breeder. Lol.

[@beek]

Good point

[@TimeIsHoney]

Subbed:)

[@bradgoliphant]

Worthless!!! I've had queens stay strong and vigorous up until 4 years.

[@johnreynolds614]

Do you have marked queens?

[@Mz.Stephanie]

I also really like my galaxy note 9

[@beek]

Aren't they great!

[@prairiepinesranch]

How do you humanely kill your queen? 😬😬😬

[@prairiepinesranch]

Maybe I mean guiltlessly. 😅😅

[@beek]

Yup, I understand. You could move her to a 5 frame convalescent home and let her live out her life. 😄

[@StarATL]

I prefer to swap out the wife every two years. lol