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MI Native Producers
Raymond Lackey
Address:
Caledonia, MI 49316, USA
Description:
Raymond Lackey
| Bee Information | |
| Bees for sale? | |
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| What characteristics do you use to select your breeding stock? | |
| I have a cluster of 5 apiaries used for mating so that much of the breeding is to F2 stock open mated and winter survival tested. I am breeding from an AI VSH queen but open mating in an area dominated by overwintered bees but statistically carrying some VSH genetics. | |
| Where is the source of your bees and what strain(s) are they? | |
| These will be F1 from an artificially inseminated (AI) Varroa Supressive Hygienic (VSH) queen, mated locally in an area populated with my overwintered F2 stock, greater genetic diversity. The VSH queen is of the VSH Pol-line 2.2 line from VP Queens. This line carries the VSH gene but has been selected for field performance. All drones produced by an F1 VSH queen will carry the VSH gene to introduce into surrounding stock mating to improve mite resistance to an area. | |
| Where do the bees overwinter? | |
| Bees are overwintered in Caledonia, Michigan area. | |
| Do the bees spend the whole season in your home location? If not, where do they go and when, and for how long? | |
| Bees are maintained year round in the CAledonia area. | |
| Do you monitor for varroa mites? How and how often? | |
| Each yard is sampled for mites once a month. If any high mite counts are found, whole apiary is tested and high count hives are treated and queen is replaced and not included in sampling for two months. | |
| Have your hives been inspected by an inspector? | |
| No. | |
| Anything else? (e.g. describe your operation) | |
| Retired beekeeper who wants to avoid honey production. Honey is heavy, messy and sticky. I prefer to raise bees and sell them. Thus, I split to avoid too much honey. Only about 300 lbs per year is harvested to keep my customers supplied. Only one hive per apiary is managed for honey production to evaluate and monitor nectar flows. Eastern Apiculture Society certified Master Beekeeper concentrating on education including 4-H mentor. | |
Categories:
Selling Nucs
Selling Queens
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