I usually try and overwinter a few apideas, partly for fun, but I an often able to use a queen or two in late March to replace any Drone Layers I find. They overwinter better as double or triple units and have to be well stocked with bees. This autumn has been so mild that the queens have been laying right through November.
About Jonathan Getty
Jonathan Getty is a member of the Belfast & District branch of the Ulster Beekeepers Association and is at least a fourth generation beekeeper in the Getty family. His main beekeeping interest is queen rearing based on our native bee Apis mellifera mellifera. He started up the Belfast Minnowburn queenrearing group several years ago and it now has about 50 active members. He also manages about 30-40 colonies of his own.
Jonathan holds a BSc Hons in Psychology from Queens University Belfast and gained a postgraduate teaching qualification at Stranmillis Training College. He is a fluent Spanish speaker.
