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

Episode Music

https://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 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 brent@nixonqueenbees.com.au

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 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

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

brent@nixonqueenbees.com.au

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

brent@nixonqueenbees.com.au

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 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!

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

brent@nixonqueenbees.com.au

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

brent@nixonqueenbees.com.au

Instagram:

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

Facebook:

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

YouTube:

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

Episode Music

https://audionautix.com/