Ken Woodard
                    9822 S Wagstaff Circle
                 Richmond, VA 23236-3816

                     Phone: (804) 745-6360
      
    Queens .... $25.00, May

     5-Frame Nucs .... Sold Out

Drone stock is the most ignored yet most important part of "breeding" honeybees. I try to manage my drone yards with selected drones from my stocks. Drone mothers are selected with as much care as queen mothers. When breeding survivor stock, VSH, Russian, Minn. Hygenic, Buckfast, or any for any desired traits, well above 50% drones mated must have those characteristics or else those traits are lost. (That was shown in the early release of Russian "Hybrids" - USDA says Russian x Russian, else you get unpredictable results).

To allow my virgins to mate predominately with other drones in the area (mostly yellow mongrels), I am defeating my breeding objectives. And then I should be referred to as a "queen rearer". However, some genetic diversity is desired; but selected genetics must be preserved.

For anyone who has booked nucs with me and "must have" them sooner, I am receiving an overnight shipment of New World Carniolans from Strachan Apiaries about April 15. I can use them in the nucs, if desired. That is the original basic stock from which I have developed my "survivor stock". The majority of the NWC are intended for evaluation to in hopes to add to my current stock.

Drones ARE NOT a beekeepers ENEMY! Natural colonies support about 17% drones. History has shown that those colonies are in "harmony".