Breeding the Honeybee: Recent Episodes
Brent Nixon
All about bee breeding. Episodes range from: bee genetics, stories about bee breeding, analysis of research and interviews with people in this field.
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.
Thanks to:
Matt Petersen
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100083143661962
Richard Sims
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100067550281602
Corinne Jordan
https://beegenetics.com.au/
Paul Roder
https://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. You can contact Paul by email at
paul@valleybees.nz
https://www.facebook.com/ValleyApiariesNZ/
https://valleybees.nz/
Email Brent - brent@nixonqueenbees.com.au
SUPPORT & CONNECT
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/nixonqueenbees/
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- Website: www.nixonqueenbees.com.au
Episode Breakdown
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 them
7:20 How Paul got into breeding
9:20 What mating nucs Paul uses
10:40 Paul’s small amount of introduced stock
12:30 Diversifying genetics
12:45 Drones
13:10 The rearing system Paul uses
17:50 Paul’s climate
21:00 Where you can find Paul
21:44 Paul’s honey
23:20 Varroa
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.
Contact Paul: www.facebook.com/hhbeesnbeeks
SUPPORT & CONNECT
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/nixonqueenbees/
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/nixonqueenbees/
- Website: www.nixonqueenbees.com.au
1:20 Paul’s history in beekeeping
5:50 Bee eating bird
8:05 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 ute
17:40 Paul’s business
Music: www.audionautix.com
Ben's Podcast
https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/bees-with-ben/id1512755530
Ben's Website
www.bensbees.com.au
Facebook
https://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.
You can find Mauritz at the Facebook group, Honey Badger Bees
https://www.facebook.com/groups/669877944204931
3:40 - Apis mellifera scutellata
4:40 - Apis mellifera capensis, the cape bee
9:45 - How to work with scutellata
12:50 - Scutellata and Varroa
14:50 - Mauritz’s queen raising
17:35 - Mauritz’s business
Aiden 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. Aiden’s line of queens has been sourced partly from his surrounding area, preserving locally adapted traits.
0:45 How Aiden got into queen breeding
3:55 Establishing lines of bees suited to your own area
7:11 The traits Aiden is looking for when bringing in breeding stock
9:23 Maintaining lines
11:26 Using all colonies as potential breeders
14:29 Queen raising with kids
16:55 Mating nucs
19:10 Aiden’s recommendations for resources
21:56 Aiden’s grant to establish a breeding program
24:35 Where to find Aiden online
"music by audionautix.com"
Get in touch with Adam at vpqueenbees.com
1:30 Getting into bees
7:00 Working as a bee inspector
12:00 Getting to know varroa
18:20 Thoughts on treating varroa
22:10 What are VSH bees
26:30 Adam’s hive setup
30:30 Adam’s bee lines
36:00 History of the Pol line 2.2
39:30 Artificial insemination classes
40:25 Books on queen breeding
Books mentioned by Adam
Beekeeping at Buckfast Abbey - Brother Adam
Breeding the Honeybee - Brother Adam
Breeding Techniques and Selection for Breeding of the Honeybee - Friedrich Ruttner
"music by 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. Rae also runs her own business called Runny Honey and has done for the last 30 years +
"music by 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.
"music by audionautix.com"
See Show notes at:
http://nixonbees.com.au/podcast/3-laurie-cowen-au/
"music by audionautix.com"
See show notes at:
http://nixonbees.com.au/podcast/2-john-berry-nz/
This is a short introduction to this podcast.
Please feel free to contact me at nixonbees.com.au
"music by audionautix.com"