Breeding the Honeybee

Amy is a queen breeder. Her business is called Kereru Queen bees, which she runs with her two sisters and their husbands. The business was originally started by Amy’s father John over 40 years ago. The business is based in Kereru, a small farming district 60 km's southwest from Napier/Hastings on the eastern foothills of the northern Ruahine ranges in Hawkes Bay.Contact Amy - [email protected] you are interested in reading a nice book about Amy's Grandfather growing up with the bees you can email Amy's mother - [email protected] I have a copy of this book which my family read in one sitting and loved it. Check out Amy's dad queen cell carriers here https://www.carricell.com/An interview with Amy's grandfather from 2015 https://knowledgebank.org.nz/audio/berry-ian-interview/Comment or leave feedback on the episode post in the Facebook group for this podcast https://www.facebook.com/groups/breedingthehoneybeePodcast proudly brought to you by Brent Nixon at Nixon Queen Bees (Ballarat VIC, Australia)https://nixonqueenbees.com.au/Email Brent [email protected] Musichttps://audionautix.com/0:00 Intro and family6:10 Kinds of bees 9:35 UbeeO11:00 Randy Oliver12:05 Kirk Webster12:55 Ray Butler13:10 AFB15:35 Mating nucs19:03 Cells 25:00 Fun facts

Chris is a 3rd generation beekeeper from Canada. His family specialise in imports of packages and queens. You can find the family’s business at https://www.bartelbeeco.ca/ Comment or leave feedback on the episode post in the Facebook group for this podcast https://www.facebook.com/groups/breedingthehoneybeeThis podcast is proudly brought to you by Brent Nixon at Nixon Queen Bees in Ballarat Australia. Email Brent at [email protected]:00 Family7:59 Shipping queens internationally12:40 Old way of beekeeping in Canada16:10 Wintering 18:55 Ezy LoaderEpisode Musichttps://audionautix.com/

Monika is a polish queen breeder. Together with her team they produce a staggering 35000 virgin queens for sale each year. This is a popular way to purchase queens in Poland. They also produce mated and instrumentally inseminated queens. Monika’s team uses a range of techniques that lead them to achieve incredibly high levels of efficiency in the production of quality queens. You can follow Monika’s work here. https://www.facebook.com/akademiapszczelarzahttps://pasieka-szeligow.pl/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/breedingthehoneybeePodcast proudly brought to you by Brent Nixon at Nixon Queen Bees (Ballarat VIC, Australia)https://nixonqueenbees.com.au/Email Brent [email protected] thanks to Marc Hillen and Anita Long for helping to set up this interview. Photo by Marc HillenEpisode Musichttps://audionautix.com/

Chris is a queen breeder and honey producer who has a family based bee business that operates between Florida and Wisconsin in the US. Chris's Website Chris's Business Facebook Page Join the 'Breeding the Honeybee' Facebook group to be apart of future live streamsThis podcast is proudly brought to you by Brent Nixon at Nixon Queen Bees in Ballarat Australia. Email Brent at [email protected]: https://www.instagram.com/nixonqueenbees/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nixonqueenbees/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NixonQueenBeesEpisode Musichttps://audionautix.com/

Krispn is an Apiculture Specialist at Purdue University’s Department of Entomology in West Lafayette Indiana USA. He runs a program breeding mite biting bees. Krispn is also the co-owner of a company that produces high quality instrumental insemination equipment made in the US. Apis Engineering's Website Krispn's profile at Purdue University 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!Podcast proudly brought to you by Brent Nixon at Nixon Queen Bees (Ballarat VIC, Australia)https://nixonqueenbees.com.au/Episode Musichttps://audionautix.com/

Marc is a queen breeder and uses instrumental insemination to produce every queen in his apiary. In this episode we cover some of the challenges of II and the interesting way in which they handle varroa in Norway. Norwegian beekeepers can purchase Marc’s queens from his website. Marc can also be contacted through his Facebook pageIf you liked this episode you might want to consider joining the Facebook group for this podcast. It's a great way to leave feedback, get notifications on new episodes and participate in live sessions.Podcast proudly brought to you by Brent Nixon at Nixon Queen Bees (Ballarat VIC, Australia)https://nixonqueenbees.com.au/Email Brent [email protected]

In this live podcast with Peter Czeti, we discuss the Australian Queen Bee Breeders Association AQBBA breeding plan from 2024-2029. This live session included a QandA. If you would like to hear that part you can watch is on the 'Breeding the Honeybee' Facebook group. If you would like to be part of the program please contact Peter on the AQBBA website. This podcast is proudly brought to you by Brent Nixon at Nixon Queen Bees in Ballarat Australia. Email Brent at [email protected] Musichttps://audionautix.com/

This is a rerun from 'The Pollen Nation Podcast' with Matt Walker. In this episode Matt covers the issue with raising queens too early in the season. Matt's Website Podcast linkFacebookYouTube

Kirk has been keeping bees for over 50 years and has not treated for varroa since 2002. His methods are inspired by his experiences with organic farming. Kirk’s approach to varroa is very hands off. He maintains the colonies by producing nucs that he overwinters. Apart from some issues resulting from modern agriculture, Kirk feels as though his beekeeping experience at present is almost the same as before he first came across varroa. You can read more about Kirk's work here https://kirkwebster.com/Comment or leave feedback on the episode post in the Facebook group for this podcast https://www.facebook.com/groups/breedingthehoneybeeThis podcast is proudly brought to you by Brent Nixon at Nixon Queen Bees in Ballarat Australia. Email Brent at [email protected]:52 Why people should raise their own queens 4:58 Kirk’s start raising queens 8:04 Kirk’s mating nucs 10:50 Beekeeping at Buckfast Abbey11:34 Feeding mating nucs 16:18 Early experiencing with selective breeding 19:11 Selection for varroa 23:57 Starting the treatment free route 26:45 Nucs that survived winter 28:28 Survivor stock29:29 Last treatment in 200231:47 Mite counts 35:02 Open apiary Episode Musichttps://audionautix.com/

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 Butler17:23 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 onlinehttps://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/breedingthehoneybeePodcast 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 together3:14 Rottnest breeding program5:14 Gretchen Wheen and Mathilde 'Tilly' Kühnert7:14 When Ron Learnt Instrumental insemination 7:52 Sue Cobey visits Australia in 20099:33 Challenges of Instrumental insemination12:00 Joe Horner’s drone rearing system14:02 Drone drift15:37 Queens you can get from Rob and Ron19:20 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/breedingthehoneybeeRecord 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] Musichttps://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/stevensbeecoComment or leave feedback on the episode post in the Facebook group for this podcast https://www.facebook.com/groups/breedingthehoneybeeRecord 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 Introduction1:50 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 F1s8:50 How the F1s in the program are assessed 10:07 UbeeO and overwintering 12:53 Harbo Assay13:42 Are F1s in the program treated?17:16 What traits are desirable in returning F1s?19:10 Colour and VSH - HarboEpisode Musichttps://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 season17:57 Where to find MaryMary’s Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/beecoapiariesMary’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/breedingthehoneybeePodcast proudly brought to you by Brent Nixon at Nixon Queen Bees (Ballarat VIC, Australia)https://nixonqueenbees.com.au/Email Brent [email protected]: https://www.instagram.com/nixonqueenbees/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nixonqueenbees/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NixonQueenBeesEpisode 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 trackhttps://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/2RiversHoneyBeeshttps://www.tworivershoneybees.com/Contact Brent [email protected] 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 Introduction2:00 A family of beekeepers 4:00 Brandon’s breeding program4:35 Allogrooming7:58 Learning AI9:54 Introducing AI queens14:16 Drones16:00 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 online22:05 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.Bpf4wrrNuNJoin 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/breedingthehoneybeePodcast proudly brought to you by Brent Nixon at Nixon Queen Bees (Ballarat VIC, Australia)https://nixonqueenbees.com.au/Email Brent [email protected]: https://www.instagram.com/nixonqueenbees/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nixonqueenbees/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NixonQueenBeeshttps://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 Introduction2:18 The biggest English black bee breeder in the world 7:50 Total Natural Immunity 9:45 Varroa and Willie’s bees10:30 Working with black bees 11:30 Black bee reserves 12:15 The future of the black bee in the UK13:12 Willie’s favourite part about beekeeping14:15 Chain Bridge Honey Farm showroom 16:30 Advice to new beekeepers 17:30 Brother AdamCheck 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/breedingthehoneybeePodcast proudly brought to you by Brent Nixon at Nixon Queen Bees (Ballarat VIC, Australia)https://nixonqueenbees.com.au/Email Brent [email protected]: https://www.instagram.com/nixonqueenbees/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nixonqueenbees/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NixonQueenBeesEpisode Musichttps://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 setup6:50 2 queen systems 11:04 3 nucs over 2 10 frames 13:14 Zombie colonies 16:44 OTS queen rearing22:12 Wintering mating nucs23:57 double screens with mating nucsBrad’s YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/c/FaithApiaries-ThatBeeManBrad’s Facebookhttps://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/breedingthehoneybeePodcast proudly brought to you by Brent Nixon at Nixon Queen Bees (Ballarat VIC, Australia)https://nixonqueenbees.com.au/Email Brent [email protected]: https://www.instagram.com/nixonqueenbees/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nixonqueenbees/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NixonQueenBeesEpisode Musichttps://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=ouifrZvFn1U00:00 Intro2:18 Bringing in breeding stock 5:30 When Ian started raising his own stock8:30 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/breedingthehoneybeePodcast proudly brought to you by Brent Nixon at Nixon Queen Bees (Ballarat VIC, Australia)https://nixonqueenbees.com.au/Email Brent [email protected]: https://www.instagram.com/nixonqueenbees/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nixonqueenbees/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NixonQueenBeesEpisode Musichttps://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/@BlackMountainHoney0:46 YouTubing4:00 Buckfast and AMM6:51 Duncan Simmons queens8:47 UK mated queens10:21 Variation in Buckfast lines11:30 Cell building methods 14:00 How to find Laurence online15:25 What is Laurence selling Join the podcast facebook community groupwww.facebook.com/groups/breedingthehoneybeePodcast proudly brought to you by Brent Nixon at Nixon Queen Bees (Ballarat VIC, Australia)https://nixonqueenbees.com.au/Email Brent [email protected]: https://www.instagram.com/nixonqueenbees/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nixonqueenbees/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NixonQueenBeesEpisode Musichttps://audionautix.com/

Leigh Slater is a queen breeder and honey producer in Tasmania, Australia. For 63 years Leigh has been preserving a pure strain of the old English black bee (Apis mellifera mellifera). Back in the 70s Leigh aided beekeepers in England by helping them reestablish the line by sending queens from his protection zone. The black bee was first brought to Australia over 200 years ago by the English and was the first stain of european honeybee in Australia. Since then the strain has almost entirely been replaced by other strains such as the Italian strain. To my knowledge Leigh's apiary is the only one remaining with a pure AMM strain. The current official status as well as the future of this preservation is currently unclear. Special thanks to Matthew Crane, Anita Long, Mick Palmer and Laurie Cowen for helping me put together this episode. 1:00 When Leigh started beekeeping4:13 Preserving the black bee7:05 taking the strain back to England9:30 Attributes of the black bee12:00 The Tasmanian program15:30 Leatherwood honey17:00 Ideal honey boxes Join the podcast facebook community groupwww.facebook.com/groups/breedingthehoneybeePodcast proudly brought to you by Brent Nixon at Nixon Queen Bees (Ballarat VIC, Australia)https://nixonqueenbees.com.au/Email Brent [email protected]: https://www.instagram.com/nixonqueenbees/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nixonqueenbees/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NixonQueenBeesEpisode Musichttps://audionautix.com/

Terry has been keeping bees in Ireland since he was 7 years old and has over 30 years experience. Early in his career he spent time working with Peter Donovan at Buckfast Abbey, learning the methods of Brother Adam. Terry has a business called Wicklow Bees and Honey which provides queens, nucs and honey. County below Dublin.4:00 Feeders and Brother Adam6:30 Started queen rearing at 148:00 Irish honey bee9:40 AMM nucs 10:00 Peter Donovan11:30 Meeting Brother Adam15:20 Peter Donovan’s photo book17:10 Buckfast bee20:10 Mating nucs26:30 Dadant Hive30:00 Patsy Bennett and the Teagasc Research Centre in Wexford33:20 Where to find TerryTerry's Website https://wicklowbeesandhoney.wordpress.com/Podcast proudly brought to you by Brent Nixon at Nixon Queen Bees (Ballarat VIC, Australia)https://nixonqueenbees.com.au/Email Brent [email protected]: https://www.instagram.com/nixonqueenbees/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nixonqueenbees/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NixonQueenBeesEpisode Musichttps://audionautix.com/

Dan Long has a business making 3D printed queen cages and other beekeeping applications. Dan’s business is called EZPZ. His main product is a cage suitable for the JZBZ cell cup. 4:00 Dan’s business4:30 JZBZ system 5:10 First 3D printer5:35 First attempt at making cages 6:07 Queen introduction6:45 Candy plug7:20 Queen cage trays8:03 Banking8:30 Different styles of cages9:45 Writing on the cages 10:45 Wax mounts12:30 Merrill tool box14:25 Day tripper19:50 JZBZ set20:10 Queen catcher22:30 Cell bars 23:10 Dan’s website24:15 North American Honey Bee Expo vendor EZPZ Websitehttps://ezpz.buzz/Join the podcast facebook community groupwww.facebook.com/groups/breedingthehoneybeePodcast proudly brought to you by Brent Nixon at Nixon Queen Bees (Ballarat VIC, Australia)https://nixonqueenbees.com.au/Email Brent [email protected]: https://www.instagram.com/nixonqueenbees/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nixonqueenbees/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NixonQueenBeesEpisode Musichttps://audionautix.com/

Tucka Saville lives in Florida, USA. She raises queens, provides classes for queen catching and grafting and is a common public speaker at bee events and clubs. Her business can be found on Instagram @tucka bee.1:20 What a Comfort hive is2:48 Feeding3:10 Comparison to Warre hives3:37 Working frames in a Comfort hive4:06 Top feeders5:45 Sam Comfort and Michael Palmers’ cell builders8:26 Using a swarm as a cell builder 9:20 Variation in queen colour10:20 Selection of queens11:15 Stacking mating nucs12:40 Moving a Comfort hive15:00 Queen raising classes16:00 Where to find Tucka onlineTucka's Istagramhttps://www.instagram.com/tucka.bee/?hl=en Join the podcast facebook community groupwww.facebook.com/groups/breedingthehoneybeePodcast proudly brought to you by Brent Nixon at Nixon Queen Bees (Ballarat VIC, Australia)https://nixonqueenbees.com.au/Email Brent [email protected]: https://www.instagram.com/nixonqueenbees/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nixonqueenbees/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NixonQueenBeesEpisode Musichttps://audionautix.com/

Varroa has been detected in the almond pollination in Australia. In this episode I interview Matt Petersen, Richard Sims and Corinne Jordan about Varroa and VSH. The interviews that are in this episode were recorded on the 1st and 2nd of September 2023. It's likely that the situation will change quickly after the release of this episode. UPDATE - Since this episode aired the Australian government has changed our approach to varroa from eradication to management. Thanks to:Matt Petersenhttps://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100083143661962Richard Sims https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100067550281602Corinne Jordanhttps://beegenetics.com.au/Paul Roderhttps://rockhamptonbees.com.au/

Paul Densem is a queen breeder based south-east of Christchurch in the Port Hills of Banks Peninsula New Zealand. Paul has created his own line of bees descending swarms that he caught when he first started beekeeping. Paul’s line of Italian bees have been selectively bred to produce high yields of honey and display calm temperaments. Paul’s business is Valley Apiaries. He offers queen bees for commercial and hobbyist beekeepers. 1:14 Paul’s Swarms 1:43 What Paul looks for in his queens 6:30 How long Paul worked on his bees until he was happy with them7:20 How Paul got into breeding9:20 What mating nucs Paul uses10:40 Paul’s small amount of introduced stock12:30 Diversifying genetics 12:45 Drones13:10 The rearing system Paul uses17:50 Paul’s climate 21:00 Where you can find Paul21:44 Paul’s honey23:20 [email protected]://www.facebook.com/ValleyApiariesNZ/https://valleybees.nz/Join the podcast facebook community groupwww.facebook.com/groups/breedingthehoneybeePodcast proudly brought to you by Brent Nixon at Nixon Queen Bees (Ballarat VIC, Australia)https://nixonqueenbees.com.au/Email Brent [email protected]: https://www.instagram.com/nixonqueenbees/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nixonqueenbees/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NixonQueenBeesEpisode Musichttps://audionautix.com/

Did you know that in the Philippines some people run full AI apiaries? Hear all about that and other great stuff in this episode with Paul Rafosala. Paul is part of a family business called Rafosala Bee Farm, based in Tagum, Philippines. Paul’s business produces queens, supplies pollination services and training and provides colonies for sale. Paul has done season’s in the USA and in Australia working in commercial beekeeping.1:20 Paul’s history in beekeeping5:50 Bee eating bird8:05 AI only Apiaries in the Philippines 12:00 Raising queens in the Philippines 14:00 Types of bees in the Philippines 16:00 Grafting in the ute17:40 Paul’s business Contact Paul: www.facebook.com/hhbeesnbeeksJoin the podcast facebook community groupwww.facebook.com/groups/breedingthehoneybeePodcast proudly brought to you by Brent Nixon at Nixon Queen Bees (Ballarat VIC, Australia)https://nixonqueenbees.com.au/Email Brent [email protected]: https://www.instagram.com/nixonqueenbees/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nixonqueenbees/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NixonQueenBeesEpisode Musichttps://audionautix.com/

This is kind of a bonus episode in which Brent Nixon was interviewed by Ben Moore, a very well known Australian beekeeper, who also has a podcast. Ben's Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/bees-with-ben/id1512755530Ben's Website www.bensbees.com.auFacebookhttps://www.facebook.com/BensBees

Mauritz is a beekeeper from South Africa who works with Apis mellifera scutellata, aka, the killer bee, aka, the Africanized honey bee, aka, the East African lowland honey bee. These bees are native to the lower parts of Africa and are well known for their honey gathering ability and extreme aggression. Scutellata was accidentally introduced into Brazil in the 1950s and has since spread across both the north and south American continents. 3:40 - Apis mellifera scutellata4:40 - Apis mellifera capensis, the cape bee9:45 - How to work with scutellata12:50 - Scutellata and Varroa14:50 - Mauritz’s queen raising 17:35 - Mauritz’s businessYou can find Mauritz at the Facebook group, Honey Badger Beeshttps://www.facebook.com/groups/669877944204931 Join the podcast facebook community groupwww.facebook.com/groups/breedingthehoneybeePodcast proudly brought to you by Brent Nixon at Nixon Queen Bees (Ballarat VIC, Australia)https://nixonqueenbees.com.au/Email Brent [email protected]: https://www.instagram.com/nixonqueenbees/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nixonqueenbees/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NixonQueenBeesEpisode Musichttps://audionautix.com/

Corinne Jordan operates the bee lady apiaries in Brisbane Australia. She specialises in Italian bees. Recently Corrine has started beegenetics.com.au, a program that will focus on breeding bees for varroa resistance in Australia.4:35 - Leading up to Varroa5:16 - Liquid nitrogen testing 6:30 - Bringing in genetics to Australia7:52 - Deformed wing virus 8:27 - Rea Butler 9:46 - Varroa gets discovered in Australia11:30 - Breeding over treating12:55 - Corinne’s breeding program (Using UBeeO)14:07 - The challenges of establishing a breeding program in Australia17:20 - How to get involved 18:00 - Funding required 19:05 - Corinne’s history of breeding queen bees20:19 - Cordovan bees Find Corinne herewww.beegenetics.com.auJoin the podcast facebook community groupwww.facebook.com/groups/breedingthehoneybeePodcast proudly brought to you by Brent Nixon at Nixon Queen Bees (Ballarat VIC, Australia)https://nixonqueenbees.com.au/Email Brent [email protected]: https://www.instagram.com/nixonqueenbees/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nixonqueenbees/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NixonQueenBeesEpisode Musichttps://audionautix.com/

Peter Donovan started working at Buckfast Abbey in 1939 when he was only 12 years old. Peter worked with Brother Adam during his teenage years and then returned to Buckfast in 1972 and remained there until 2004. He is said to be the person who knew Brother Adam the best. Peter kept bees with a passion until he passed away in 2013. Today I am speaking with his son, John Donovan, who, as a child, spent time at Buckfast with his father and Brother Adam. John lives in Buckfast to this day.2:57 - Peter’s early life10:25 - Peter’s Military service 14:10 - Keeping bees while on service 16:50 - Returning to Buckfast17:26 - Brother Adam and Peter, a funny military story22:08 - John’s memories of Brother Adam’s mating station27:50 - Brother Adam’s trips looking for bees28:40 - John remembers the Buckfast bee32:00 - The honey yields and extraction room35:50 - Ordering honey from Buckfast39:50 - Peter loved teaching people about bees42:30 - Peter’s book about beekeeping46:10 - John’s collection of Buckfast photos 47:20 - How Brother Adam maintained his hive boxesJoin the podcast Facebook community groupwww.facebook.com/groups/breedingthehoneybeePodcast proudly brought to you by Brent Nixon at Nixon Queen Bees (Ballarat VIC, Australia)https://nixonqueenbees.com.au/Email Brent [email protected]: https://www.instagram.com/nixonqueenbees/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nixonqueenbees/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NixonQueenBeesEpisode Musichttps://audionautix.com/

Duncan owns and runs Simmons Apiaries, a business based in Trematon in south west England. Duncan has been keeping bees for over 50 years and for 35 years as a professional. He produces queens, honey, offers training and sells equipment for dealing with varroa. 0:56 - Duncan tells a funny beekeeping story2:43 - The Buckfast bee3:51 - Peter Donovan 5:51 - Home apiary at Buckfast Abbey6:36 - The British native bee9:51 - Brother Adam’s mating station11:14 - Varroa 13:11 - InstantVap16:54 - The hive boxes Duncan runs 18:54 - Nicot system23:10 - Duncan’s work in St. Lucia25:12 - Wax queen cups vs plastic 27:43 - Priming cells cups 29:17 - The mating nucs Duncan runs 31:04 - The benefits of feeding mating nucs 33:07 - The push in queen introduction cage39:13 - How long should queen be in mating nucs 42:12 - Staying at Duncan’s farm to learn queen rearingGet in touch with Duncan [email protected]://www.facebook.com/SimmonsApiaries/Join the podcast facebook community groupwww.facebook.com/groups/breedingthehoneybeePodcast proudly brought to you by Brent Nixon at Nixon Queen Bees (Ballarat VIC, Australia)https://nixonqueenbees.com.au/Email Brent [email protected]: https://www.instagram.com/nixonqueenbees/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nixonqueenbees/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NixonQueenBeesEpisode Musichttps://audionautix.com/

John is a queen breeder from Rogue River, Oregon, USA. He has a business called Old Sol Apiaries. Starting in 1997 with a degree in Biology, John’s goal has been to produce productive, hearty, pest and disease tolerant bees that are also a pleasure to work with. John prides himself on selling well vetted bees and even has a motto “A queen that has been through a thorough vetting, is a queen on which you should be betting!”0:55 Varroa in Australia3:02 Dealing with varroa with mite treatments 4:12 VSH lines past and present 5:50 Bee informed partnership 7:10 John survivor stock8:40 Washington State University importing Caucasian bees from Georgia 11:30 What John selects for13:11 Oxalic acid13:33 John mating nucs16:50 John’s work with solar energy companies18:20 Meadhttps://oldsolbees.com/Join the podcast facebook community groupwww.facebook.com/groups/breedingthehoneybeePodcast proudly brought to you by Brent Nixon at Nixon Queen Bees (Ballarat VIC, Australia)https://nixonqueenbees.com.au/Email Brent [email protected]: https://www.instagram.com/nixonqueenbees/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nixonqueenbees/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NixonQueenBeesEpisode Musichttps://audionautix.com/

Aidan owns and runs Wings of Nature, a company based in San Mateo County, California, USA, that produces honey, nucs, queens and provides education and pollination services. Aidan’s line of queens has been sourced partly from his surrounding area, preserving locally adapted traits. 0:45 How Aidan got into queen breeding3:55 Establishing lines of bees suited to your own area7:11 The traits Aidan is looking for when bringing in breeding stock9:23 Maintaining lines11:26 Using all colonies as potential breeders14:29 Queen raising with kids16:55 Mating nucs19:10 Aidan’s recommendations for resources 21:56 Aidan’s grant to establish a breeding program24:35 Where to find Aidan onlineAidan's Website https://www.wingsofnaturebees.com/Join the podcast facebook community groupwww.facebook.com/groups/breedingthehoneybeePodcast proudly brought to you by Brent Nixon at Nixon Queen Bees (Ballarat VIC, Australia)https://nixonqueenbees.com.au/Email Brent [email protected]: https://www.instagram.com/nixonqueenbees/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nixonqueenbees/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NixonQueenBeesEpisode Musichttps://audionautix.com/

Adam is a VSH queen breeder. He has been breeding queen bees since the late 80s. Together with his wife, Kelly, who he met in Entomology class at university, they run a business called VP queen bees which is based in Iva, South Carolina, USA and specialises in the production of VSH breeder queens. 1:30 Getting into bees7:00 Working as a bee inspector 12:00 Getting to know varroa18:20 Thoughts on treating varroa22:10 What are VSH bees26:30 Adam’s hive setup30:30 Adam’s bee lines36:00 History of the Pol line 2.239:30 Artificial insemination classes40:25 Books on queen breedingGet in touch with Adam at vpqueenbees.comJoin the podcast Facebook community groupwww.facebook.com/groups/breedingthehoneybeePodcast proudly brought to you by Brent Nixon at Nixon Queen Bees (Ballarat VIC, Australia)https://nixonqueenbees.com.au/Email Brent [email protected]: https://www.instagram.com/nixonqueenbees/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nixonqueenbees/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NixonQueenBeesEpisode Musichttps://audionautix.com/

Rae is a VSH (Varroa Sensitive Hygiene) specialist queen breeder from New Zealand. She operates the Bee Smart Breeding program which produces VSH bees. Rae has spent time with VSH breeding programmes in Baton Rouge, Arista Bee Research in the Netherlands and the Bee Informed Partnership based in Maryland University. Join the podcast facebook community groupwww.facebook.com/groups/breedingthehoneybeePodcast proudly brought to you by Brent Nixon at Nixon Queen Bees (Ballarat VIC, Australia)https://nixonqueenbees.com.au/Email Brent [email protected]: https://www.instagram.com/nixonqueenbees/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nixonqueenbees/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NixonQueenBeesEpisode Musichttps://audionautix.com/

Laurie is well known in Tasmania, Australia for mentoring new beekeepers and producing nucleus colonies and queen cells. Listeners from Tasmania would know Laurie from his work in the Tasmanian Junior beekeeping club and with sisters hives Australia.Join the podcast facebook community groupwww.facebook.com/groups/breedingthehoneybeePodcast proudly brought to you by Brent Nixon at Nixon Queen Bees (Ballarat VIC, Australia)https://nixonqueenbees.com.au/Email Brent [email protected]: https://www.instagram.com/nixonqueenbees/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nixonqueenbees/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NixonQueenBeesEpisode Musichttps://audionautix.com/

John is part of the Berry family, which is a very big name in the New Zealand beekeeping industry. The Berry family own Arataki Honey, a large honey packing company located in Hawke Bay on the eastern side of the north island. At certain times in the history of this company the Berry family have had 4 generations working alongside each other. These days John runs his own business called Berry Bees and produces comb honey for the local market. John has also been involved with the Varroa sensitive hygiene program in New Zealand and has had experience testing and breeding from VSH queens.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/breedingthehoneybeePodcast proudly brought to you by Brent Nixon at Nixon Queen Bees (Ballarat VIC, Australia)https://nixonqueenbees.com.au/Email Brent [email protected]: https://www.instagram.com/nixonqueenbees/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nixonqueenbees/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NixonQueenBeesEpisode Musichttps://audionautix.com/

In this episode I talk briefly about the life of Brother Adam and I also speak to the head of bees at Buckfast Abbey, Clare Densley, about what Buckfast Abbey is up to with the bees these days. Join the podcast facebook community groupwww.facebook.com/groups/breedingthehoneybeePodcast proudly brought to you by Brent Nixon at Nixon Queen Bees (Ballarat VIC, Australia)https://nixonqueenbees.com.au/Email Brent [email protected]: https://www.instagram.com/nixonqueenbees/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nixonqueenbees/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NixonQueenBeesEpisode Musichttps://audionautix.com/

Join the podcast Facebook community groupwww.facebook.com/groups/breedingthehoneybeePodcast proudly brought to you by Brent Nixon at Nixon Queen Bees Email - [email protected]: www.instagram.com/nixonqueenbees/Facebook: www.facebook.com/nixonqueenbees/TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@nixonqueenbeesWebsite: www.nixonqueenbees.com.auMusic: www.audionautix.com