Ohio Queen Bees

Ohio Queen Bees
Locally raised queens for local beekeepers

Ohio Homestead Gardens & Apiaries
4035 Duffy Rd SE
Lancaster, Ohio
(740) 689-0628

If you don't keep bees, but would like to support our efforts at maintaining honeybees in a sustainable manner, please feel free to donate what you can. Thanks very much. (more info)

“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” -Harold Thurman Whitman

NOTE: Although I am a member of the Ohio State Beekeeping Association, this queen rearing operation is not affiliated with the OSBA's Queen Project and does not produce queens from instrumentally inseminated stock nor are they "Certified Ohio Queens".

Queen Rearing and Bee Links

Eastern Apicultural Society (EAS)

Heartland Apicultural Society (HAS)

Western Apicultural Society (WAS)

Ohio State Beekeepers Assoc.

East Central Ohio Beekeepers

Beeculture

The American Bee Journal

American Beekeeping Federation

American Honey Producers

Ohio Homestead

     We have entered the realm of queen rearing with the intention of providing local beekeepers (and myself!) with queen bees reared in the geographic area and climate type where they will be used.
     A nationwide effort to implement this strategy, in small, localized cells, will provide the nation with a healthier bee population without the constant transmission of pests and diseases across the country or the stress inflicted on queens in shipping.
    Of course, this will not be easy. In many cases, it will take a change in the mindset of beekeepers. Ohio weather will hamper the typical spring desire for queens and rearing must be done somewhat later in the season, especially if the queens are to be evaluated fairly prior to the sale This means the development of a program similar to Kirk Webster's in Vermont. Queens reared later can be used to requeen colonies in the summer or for summer nucs raised to be overwintered and then available in the spring. Successfully wintering of single deep colonies or double nucs over other colonies with a double screen can provide the source of bees for "spring fever" and replacement colonies. I feel a queen reared in summer is still a young queen the next spring.
    My apiaries consist of a variety of races/lines including Minnesota Hygienic, Russian, New World Carniolan, and Italian. I currently treat for mites in the fall, if necessary, with formic acid (Mite Away II). I also use Apiguard (thymol) as an alternative and to facilitate treating a bit earlier than with Mite Away. I always leave some hives untreated and some have survived three winters without treatment. I hope to continue this, raise queens from promising hives, and progress to non-treatment. This effort is still in the early stages.
     It will be an interesting journey, but that is definitely what bees are, Interesting!

I use no-graft methods of queen rearing including the Nicot system, the Hopkins or Case Method, and combinations of the Alley and/or Jay Smith method. I like the idea of having minimal disruption in the feeding of larval state which Jay Smith mentions in "Better Queens".

Our last queens of the year are now laying in nucs. Contact us for queen availability now or for nucs. Some 2008 queens. Here's some pics of my 2007 attempts at the Hopkins method and some queen cells reared using the Nicot system.

If you are interested in local raw honey, comb honey, creamed honey, or bee pollen, please visit www.ohiohomestead.com. For information on nucs for sale, see OhioNucs. For pollination information utilizing honey bees and alternative pollinators, see OhioPollination. Thanks!