To ensure the beekeeper retains the qualities from their best colony’s, they will often rear queens from those specific colony’s to the build subsequent colony’s from. This is not only a method to multiply the number of colony’s but an excellent way of to ensure the correct qualities they prefer are sustained. The fundamental qualities that the beekeeper will often look for are based on temperament, production and resistance to disease. These qualities are often found in queen rearing farms but can also be found in wild swarm colony’s that have adapted to the local area; these are referred to either stock or locally adapted strains. Stock refers to bred stock and locally adapted is as their title suggests. The reliability of locally adapted stock can vary significantly, especially with wild caught swarms. Although swarms can often thrive, they can often carry unwarned disease or qualities that make management more challenging. Particular caution should be paid to swarms and the best advice if you do catch a wild swarm is to check thoroughly for any signs of disease and segregate from your apiary for a period of time to ensure there is no risk to your healthy colony’s. Swarms will also behave very differently whilst swarming and therefore it is importantly to monitor their characteristics to ensure that they exhibit similar or complimentary qualities to your other colony’s. Queen rearing from proven strains remains the most reliable way to ensure you develop and maintain the preferred characteristics for you as a beekeeper.

Today we salute the huge impact such tiny wings have on this world and humanity itself. Protecting bees means protecting our future. Happy World Honeybee Day 2025.

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