Jane Sueme and the Saint Louis Beekeepers (SLB) in Missouri are advancing their local queen rearing program through a $37,675 NCR-SARE Partnership grant, aiming to provide regionally adapted, survivor-stock queens and nucleus colonies to local beekeepers. This initiative addresses the scarcity of locally-bred queens in the Missouri/Illinois area, promoting sustainable beekeeping practices.
Project Overview
Building on a previous NCR-SARE Farmer Rancher grant, the SLB Partnership project focused on improving queen bee production methods to meet growing demand for locally adapted stock, reduce reliance on imported queens, and increase colony survivability. Over the course of two seasons, SLB raised and distributed over 200 queens and nucs using diverse starter/finisher colony methods, refined grafting techniques, and monitored mating success across multiple apiary sites. Their work also included educational outreach, training beekeepers in queen rearing through hands-on workshops and printed resources.
Practical Recommendations for Beekeepers
Based on their experiences, SLB offered several recommendations to enhance queen rearing success:
- Utilize Multiple Starter/Finishers: Employing two starter/finisher units instead of one can prevent overcrowding and ensure better larval quality, particularly under suboptimal environmental conditions.
- Refresh Mating Nucs Regularly: Regularly replenishing mating nucs with fresh nurse bees can maintain colony strength and resources, improving queen acceptance and mating success.
- Monitor Queen Cell Viability: Observing whether queen cells hatch as expected can indicate colony health; unopened cells may suggest supersedure or queen issues, necessitating timely intervention.
- Implement Queen Mandibular Pheromone (QMP) Use: Applying QMP can stimulate laying behavior in queenless nucs, aiding in colony stabilization during queen introduction.
- Maintain Detailed Records: Keeping comprehensive records of grafting schedules, queen development, and colony observations can inform future breeding decisions and improve overall queen rearing outcomes.
"Being able to provide both mated queens and nucleus colonies from this survivor population, that successfully overwinters in our zone, increases the purchasing beekeepers' springtime hive strength and honey production, while decreasing cost of stock replacement," said Sueme.
Dig Deeper
With support from SARE, Jane Sueme has been raising and sharing survivor honey bee queen stock with beekeepers in Missouri and Illinois, as highlighted in her 2024 Farmers Forum presentation at the Great Plains Growers Conference.
View Related SARE Grants:
- St. Louis Beekeepers Sustainable Stock Apiary: Local Survivor Honey Bee Queen Rearing Project (FNC18-1145)
- St. Louis Sustainable Stock Apiary: Local Queen Breeding Development (ONC22-114)