HONEY BEES LOCAL BREEDING PA Queen Bee Improvement

HONEY BEES – LOCAL BREEDING PA Queen Bee Improvement Program

� "This project supported [in part] by the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program. SARE is a program of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U. S. Department of Agriculture. "

WHERE DO YOU FIT IN?

PARTICIPATING BEEKEEPERS � Jeff Berta-Slippery Rock � Mark Gingrich-Dover � Roger Williams-Manchester � Warren Miller-State College � Jeremy Barnes-York � Kathleen Berta-Warren � Bobby Lee Hawrenko-Saxonburg � Maryann Frazier-PSU � Christina Grozinger-PSU

PENNSYLVANIA QUEEN BEE IMPROVEMENT PROJECT � SARE 2011 -Russians & Carniolan � SARE 2012 - Carniolan & Ontario Buckfast � SARE 2013 - AI queens w/ the PA Survivors � SARE 2014 -AI queen daughter share w/ local clubs � Do you want to help?

GENETICS TOM GLENN APIARIES

DRONE SELECTION- THE GOAL

DRONE -PENNA SURVIVOR STOCK

RANDOM, STRAYS, AND FERAL

RANDOM RESULTS

CREATING DRONE COMB

DRONE BOX Drone comb above excluder 25 days prior

COLLECT DRONE SEMEN

ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION 2013 � Pa Virgins and Ontario Buckfast Virgins � Crossed w/ Survivor Stock Drone Semen

WHO IS WORKING ON THIS?

CREATE PA AI BREEDER QUEENS

GRAFT DAUGHTERS FROM AI QUEENS

RAISE QUEEN CELLS

LOCAL PA BEEKEEPERS � No Chemical treatments � Survived 2 Winter

FIELD MEASUREMENTS � Measure Frames � Brood and Honey

FIELD MEASUREMENT � Count Mites

COUNT THE PARASITES � Powder sugar is sifted over the bees � Parasitic mites fall to bottom � Counted and recorded

MEASURE THE HONEY � Excess honey is weighed

FIELD MEASUREMENTS � Record Data � Using UPC/QR Code

FIELD DATA � Upload data � Using i. Phone � Beetight database � Accessed by all

DATA EVALUATION

DATA EVALUATION � Quality Score �QS= FB + FH - Mites

QUALITY SCORE

DATA EVALUATION � What does it really mean? � Does it live through the Winter?

PUT THE HONEY BACK IN HONEYBEE

CONTACT US � Jeff Berta-Always Summer Herbs. com, LLC � Slippery Rock, PA � 724. 735. 4700 � Mark Gingrich-Gingrich Apiaries, LLC � Dover, /York, PA