The History of BeeFit Queen Bees.
I started beekeeping 5 years ago, not having a clue what exactly I was getting myself into. At first it seemed super super easy. You just buy your bees, put them in a hive, and forget about them until it is time to take the honey off right? HAHA! Well it's safe to say that mindset didn't last past my first year. The initial 2 years of my beekeeping journey were exceptionally fortuitous. I didn't lose a single hive. It wasn't until I took some big risks in my 3rd year that I had my first hive collapse. I lost 50% of my hives that winter (the winter of 2022/2023). But, as a result the hives that survived.. those are the bees that you can drag through the dirt and starve them a little and they will still find a way!
There are A LOT of factors that go into whether or not your hive will make it through the winter. But, one thing I have noticed is bees are pretty resilient and if they know how to prepare and what to do they will find a way.
Varroa mites are a HUGE problem in beekeeping today. They can take a beautiful colony that is booming in August and turn it into a collapsed hive by November. This is what many beekeepers believe is causing the dreaded CDC (colony collapse disorder) that has been devastating bee hives worldwide. That being said, my primary goal when I began my YouTube channel was to demonstrate that beekeeping doesn't have to be as challenging as we perceive it to be.
Now I know that is easier said than done. But, with the right methods and the right genetics you will have a bee that is tailored to you, your beekeeping style, and your environment. That is what began my search with finding the right genetic line that will..
- Be productive as all get out and pack in honey like the world is ending tomorrow.
- Be resourceful and be able to overwinter with less food. There is a saying that goes "if the bees can make a super of honey in a week, they can eat a super in a week." Those are NOT the bees I want. I want bees that will ration their honey to the best of their ability.
- I want to see that my queen is laying sheets on sheets of eggs in a full pattern (this is essential for having a strong colony).
- Gentle and easily workable. I don't want bees that chase me out of the yard. These type of hives are not welcome in our yard and get broken down very quickly if they do. Now this can be dependent on the time of year too so keep that in mind. Gentle colonies will still be mean in August or during a dearth. Because think about it, when you're hungry you get hangry. So do the bees ;)
- I want a genetic line so strong that at least 95% of the daughters are just like the mother queen. I have seen that with a lot of my past queens there would be a variance in their "quality". Meaning I would still get dud queens that had poor laying patterns, weren't as productive, and just wouldn't be able to sustain a high population.
- And lastly, be able to manage varroa on their own without any chemical treatments from me, the beekeeper. (This is the big one)
The Beekeeper's Dream Queen Bee - Viplidoo
Now let me introduce you to our proudest queen bee, Viplidoo. Last August I met Kasey. Kasey is my partner in crime, in life, and everything bee related. He was a godsend to my life (but more on that later). Over the last 5 years it turns out that he was pursing the same guidelines I was with his queen bees, as he has never treated his bees since day one. And, he overwinters a lot of his colonies in 5 over 5 nucleus colonies! In Michigan?! Now way!!
Well, it turns out he is also a very talented queen breeder as he has a 95% success rate every time he grafts queens.
Over the last 5 years, Kasey has been carefully selecting his genetic line and putting them through a series of tests.
- what happens if I overwinter in nucleus colonies? Will they survive?
- what happens if I don't treat my bees for mites?
- what if I take away all of their honey and only feed them sugar throughout the winter? Will they starve?
- what happens if I forget about them completely and just let them do their thing? The neglect test.
These are a few of the tests he has performed to get to the genetic line we have today. And that genetic line is our main breeder Viplidoo. She meets all of our standards and has honestly added some standards to our selection list.
Viplidoo'sbrood pattern on March 1st!!!!
Let's get to know Viplidoo (VIP)
- First and foremost, the most important quality about her is she stood up to the first over wintering test of what happens when you over winter a colony in a 5 over 5 nuc? The following year, Kasey then took away 2 frames of honey, only leaving her with 3 frames of honey to make it through the winter with. To his surprise, in the spring he found that she still had honey left over to spare. So, he graduated her to the next test. What happens when you take away all of her honey and only give her sugar to survive on? That was the last test she had to pass for her to be the queen that he was looking for to survive our Michigan winters. She is resourceful and knows exactly how to ration her food so that the colony comes out in the spring strong.
- This last year Kasey gave her a full upper 5 frames full of honey (but still in a 5 over 5 nuc). She came out in the spring seriously kicking butt! She went from a 5 over 5 nuc to a triple stack of 10 frame deeps by the 1st of May.
- As mentioned, Kasey has never treated his bees for mites. That in of itself shows that she stands a fighting chance in the fight against mites and can mange varroa on her own.
- Her brood pattern.... OMG! This is the tell all sign if a colony has a Vip daughter. She does not miss a single cell when laying and will lay sheets on sheets on sheets. This sort of strength in the genetic line crosses of our requirement for our main breeder queen to have little variance in the quality of her daughters.
- Lastly, she will protect her hive if she needs to so if you are banging around in her hive she will get grumpy. But she responds well to smoke and once her bees get used to you then they welcome you as one of them. Checking off the requirement to be gentle and NOT chase you out of the yard
Now let's talk about Chakotay...
Yes, if you are a Star Trek fan this name may sound familiar. :) Chakotay is the mother of every hive I had up to this year. She always had a history of coming out in the spring VERY strong. So, when I decided to make all of those splits in my 3rd year, she was the hive I went to to take bulk bees from. But, that's not the only amazing thing about her...
- It doesn't matter how many times I split her or how thin I make her splits. SHE. ALWAYS. COMES. BACK. And when I say that I mean... I would take every frame from her, leaving her only 2 brood frames and some honey and she would build out that entire hive in just 4 weeks. I would come back and she would have 2 deeps full of brood and every frame drawn out perfectly. Because of that she is my favorite from the OG BeeFit clan, as the ability to start from nothing and be a booming hive in just 4 weeks is a trait every beekeeper needs in their apiary.
- She has this beautiful way of building out her hive so that she has brood from wall to wall in the bottom box and if getting ready for a flow, in the 2nd box too. But then, she would pack all of her honey up top perfectly filling every frame from top to bottom. In other hives I have always seen bees that will put honey frames only on the outter 2 frames of the brood nest and then just build the brood nest vertically up the hive. Not her.
- In every mite wash I did on her she would always sit around 4-8 mites in a wash, never deviating or going up too high. Showing that she shows mite resistant traits.
- In terms of swarming...you would have to beg her to swarm. It doesn't matter how packed out her hive is, if it isn't spring she will not swarm.
- Lastly, she is one of those hives that in October all ya gotta do is close her up and then don't worry about checking on her again until spring. She overwinters VERY well and always has food left over in the spring.
Thankfully, I was able to save Chakotay in the move between yards. I had thought I had lost her until I was watching the way they were working and building out the hive. That's when I realized it was her! All beekeepers know, when you fall in love with a queen you can pick her and her daughters out in an instant. Kasey and I get to know our queens. We don't see them as just bees but as friends that teach us so much about who they are and the beekeepers we need to be.
What now?
That leads me to the BeeFit Queen Bees that we have today. Genetic diversity is essential for producing queens that can survive varroa mites and our Michigan winters. Going forward we are continuing our tests as we select breeders for the coming years. Our goal is to maintain those 6 qualifications above in the queens that we produce. And our next goal is to get those queens into your hands so that overwintering doesn't have to be as scary as it is today in beekeeping. We have poured our heart and soul into these queens and we hope that you can find that same joy we have found.
