Amy is a queen breeder. Her business is called Kereru Queens 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 - kereruqueenbees@gmail.com
If you are interested in reading a nice book about Amy's Grandfather growing up with the bees you can email Amy's mother - jenny-dobson@xtra.co.nz
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
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Podcast proudly brought to you by
Brent Nixon at Nixon Queen Bees (Ballarat VIC, Australia)
https://nixonqueenbees.com.au/
Email Brent
0:00 Intro and family
6:10 Kinds of bees
9:35 UbeeO
11:00 Randy Oliver
12:05 Kirk Webster
12:55 Ray Butler
13:10 AFB
15:35 Mating nucs
19:03 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
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This podcast is proudly brought to you by Brent Nixon at Nixon Queen Bees in Ballarat Australia. Email Brent at brent@nixonqueenbees.com.au
0:00 Family
7:59 Shipping queens internationally
12:40 Old way of beekeeping in Canada
16:10 Wintering
18:55 Ezy Loader
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/akademiapszczelarza
https://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!
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Podcast proudly brought to you by
Brent Nixon at Nixon Queen Bees (Ballarat VIC, Australia)
https://nixonqueenbees.com.au/
Email Brent
Special thanks to Marc Hillen and Anita Long for helping to set up this interview. Photo by Marc Hillen
Episode Music
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 streams
This podcast is proudly brought to you by Brent Nixon at Nixon Queen Bees in Ballarat Australia.
Email Brent at brent@nixonqueenbees.com.au
Instagram:
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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/
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 page
Podcast proudly brought to you by
Brent Nixon at Nixon Queen Bees (Ballarat VIC, Australia)
https://nixonqueenbees.com.au/
Email Brent
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 brent@nixonqueenbees.com.au
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.
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/breedingthehoneybee
This podcast is proudly brought to you by Brent Nixon at Nixon Queen Bees in Ballarat Australia.
Email Brent at brent@nixonqueenbees.com.au
www.nixonqueenbees.com.au
3:52 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 Abbey
11:34 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 stock
29:29 Last treatment in 2002
31:47 Mite counts
35:02 Open apiary
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
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!
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Podcast proudly brought to you by
Brent Nixon at Nixon Queen Bees (Ballarat VIC, Australia)
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
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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 brent@nixonqueenbees.com.au
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 brent@nixonqueenbees.com.au
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
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!
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Podcast proudly brought to you by
Brent Nixon at Nixon Queen Bees (Ballarat VIC, Australia)
https://nixonqueenbees.com.au/
Email Brent
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/nixonqueenbees/
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/nixonqueenbees/
YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@NixonQueenBees
Episode Music
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.facebook.com/2RiversHoneyBees
https://www.tworivershoneybees.com/
Contact Brent
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 Foothillsfarmnc@gmail.com
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!
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Podcast proudly brought to you by
Brent Nixon at Nixon Queen Bees (Ballarat VIC, Australia)
https://nixonqueenbees.com.au/
Email Brent
Instagram:
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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!
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Podcast proudly brought to you by
Brent Nixon at Nixon Queen Bees (Ballarat VIC, Australia)
https://nixonqueenbees.com.au/
Email Brent
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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
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/nixonqueenbees/
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/nixonqueenbees/
YouTube:
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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!
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Podcast proudly brought to you by
Brent Nixon at Nixon Queen Bees (Ballarat VIC, Australia)
https://nixonqueenbees.com.au/
Email Brent
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/nixonqueenbees/
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https://www.facebook.com/nixonqueenbees/
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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
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Podcast proudly brought to you by
Brent Nixon at Nixon Queen Bees (Ballarat VIC, Australia)
https://nixonqueenbees.com.au/
Email Brent
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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 beekeeping
4:13 Preserving the black bee
7:05 taking the strain back to England
9:30 Attributes of the black bee
12:00 The Tasmanian program
15:30 Leatherwood honey
17:00 Ideal honey boxes
Join the podcast facebook community group
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Podcast proudly brought to you by
Brent Nixon at Nixon Queen Bees (Ballarat VIC, Australia)
https://nixonqueenbees.com.au/
Email Brent
Instagram:
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Facebook:
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YouTube:
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