In collaboration with the Heartland Honey Bee Breeders Cooperative (HHBBC) and Purdue University, the BQP members will have inseminated breeder queens added to their breeding stock this year.
Within the BQP group there are numerous inseminated breeder queens with varied genetic backgrounds, such as New World Carniolian X Slovenian Carnica queens from Sue Cobey, VSH Carniolan queens from Adam Finkelstein, VSH queens from Dr. John Harbo, Italian queens from Dr. Joe Latshaw, Caucasian queens from Dr. Steve Shepard, as well as many different inseminated trait lines with Purdue Mite Grooming, VSH, and Hygienic Behavior genetics. Also there are several naturally mated queen lines from Mike Palmer, Kirk Webster and Buckfast queens from Bill Ferguson in Canada.
Overall, BQP have approximately 30 breeder queens that can be used to rear production queens for beekeepers in Ohio. Remember that the breeder queens’ daughters produce drones that reflect the genetics of the mother breeder Queen. Those drones provide the genetics for the local gene pool, mating with queens in the local area. BQP members swap queens with each other to increase the local gene pool. All of the mated queens have been mated with selected Ohio and WV locally adapted drones.
The BQP board members are President Ron Zickefoose , VP Jason Bosler, and Sec/ Treas. Peggy Garnes.
For additional information, please visit the Buckeye Queen Producers website at Ohioqueens.org
