Fertilized Queen Buckfast (Brother Adam)

The queen is the major element of the hive, she determines the character of your flock and its quality. That is why we take great care in breeding, selection and testing. We work with recognized breeders who have colonies/lines referenced in theMelifera index and we do everything possible to ensure that our fertilized queens are given the best rearing conditions.

• Resource-rich environment,
• Pollen, essential proteins,
• Sufficient water,
• A large population of female workers
• and hives with sufficient number of males to ensure a great genetic diversity,

The origin of our bees

The Buckfast queens we produce are all from inseminated f0 strains, selected and tested according to the Brother Adam method. They are produced in France / Normandy and come from our best hives. 

Buckfast queens are naturally fertilized in a saturated environment of male hives along the Seine. They are sold marked with the color of the year (yellow this year).

Queen selection

Our Buckfast queens are selected on the following criteria : 

• Production of honey,
• Softness,
• Low tendency to swarm, 
• Vitality of the queen to lay eggs,
• Rusticity, ability of the swarm to adapt to its environment,
• Resistance to brood diseases (hygienic colonies).

Delivery of queens

We offer you :

• Fast delivery by UPS within 24 hours/72 hours. (25€)
• Pick up at my home 

• Queen shipments take place every week on Tuesdays during the season from mid-May to September.
• The queens are delivered in Nicot crates, accompanied by 6 to 8 bees with candy. 
• The origin of the lineage is mentioned on the crates.

For deliveries outside France, please contact us.

Availability

We produce fertilized queens during the whole season from mid-May to Septemberas well as virgin queens and queen cells.  As every year, we put on sale on our website a limited number of queens to guarantee the orders placed on the internet. In case of stock shortage on a given date, we invite you to register on the specific newsletter. By this  means, we will be able to inform you of new availabilities.

Tips for introducing a fertilized queen ?

The introduction of a fertilized queen into a hive is not complicated but requires special care; it is important to take all necessary precautions at :

• preparation of the swarm,
• of transportation,
• and the introduction into the hive.

Some tips:

Make sure that your hive is orphaned. A minimum of 24 hours to 7 days for the most aggressive swarms. 
After 24 hours, it is advisable to check the queen cells. 

Check for the presence of a queen before inserting the crate 

• Place the crate on top of the Dadant frames,
• Turn the feeder over and wait 10 minutes.
• If there are no bees covering the crate, there is still a queen in your colony! 

• Check the hardness of the candy and change it if necessary
• Remove the protective tab from the crate
  
• Fix the tab in the loop for  prevent it from sliding between the dadant frames of the hive
• Slide the crate with the Buckfast queen between 2 brood frames.
• Add 0.5 liters of syrup to soothe the colony and promote acceptance of the queen.
• Leave the hive alone for 7 days.

One week later, it only remains to to check the presence of the queen in the hive as well as her laying in the brood.

An advice 
The world of bees is a world of smells, have clean hands, avoid for example to go and get gasoline before the introduction or to perfume yourself in the morning.

Make the right choice for your herd

The breeding of queens is not very complicated but the production of quality queens requires a lot of knowledge, know-how and years of experience. 

Do not hesitate to contact me by e-mail or by phone if you need information.

Do you know the European bee races?

Don’t know which breed of bee to choose? I invite you to read the following article “Which breed of bee to choose?

You can choose between :

• the carniolan (carnica), 
• Italian (lingustica), 
• the local bee (apis mellifera mellifera), 
• the caucasian (Apis mellifera caucasica)
• or Brother Adam’s Buckfast

Related products