Age of grafted larve

[simonforeman]

so I grafted for the first time yesterday morning, was very nerve racking. 22 cells grafted into. I have just checked and 10 have taken, so happy with that for my first time with no practicing beforehand.

1 of the cells has been drawn allot more than the others after 24hours so has got me thinking....
Would this be an older larva that I may of grafted and they ard moving it along a little more? Or am I reading into this too much.

I am looking to move these into an incubator before they emerge so is day 10 after graft best day to move or should i do it a day earlier incase I have grafted some slightly older larve, it was my first time znd was a blur lol

 

[B+.]

so I grafted for the first time yesterday morning, was very nerve racking. 22 cells grafted into. I have just checked and 10 have taken, so happy with that for my first time with no practicing beforehand.

1 of the cells has been drawn allot more than the others after 24hours so has got me thinking....
Would this be an older larva that I may of grafted and they ard moving it along a little more? Or am I reading into this too much.

I am looking to move these into an incubator before they emerge so is day 10 after graft best day to move or should i do it a day earlier incase I have grafted some slightly older larve, it was my first time znd was a blur lol

Congratulations.
It's a bit late for me here in Bedfordshire but I appreciate other parts of the country are ok to graft still.
My advice would be to have a look up into the cells from underneath. If you see a plump larva floating on a pool of royal jelly, all is well. If they have narrowed the cell/removed the larva, you might as well remove that cell because it's gone. They should continue to feed it so long as they have fresh nectar/pollen, then seal it on day 6.
Good Luck

 

[simonforeman]

Thanks B+
So if I was to check on day 5 and any were sealed would that mean I grafted older larve?
If so is it best to remove these or use them?

 

[For want of a better word]

I seem to get better results by placing the day 14 queen cells directly into the mating nucs, then if emergence is a day early or a day late it is of no consequence.
Similarly ( day 14) if hatching in an incubator.... unless you are raising 100s and need the hive space!

Chons da

 

[B+.]

Thanks B+
So if I was to check on day 5 and any were sealed would that mean I grafted older larve?
If so is it best to remove these or use them?

It'll probably still be ok.
I have a German book where they show you what happens when you graft larvae at: 24, 48, 72, etc hours old. They progressively change from nice, well developed queens, through runty queens and inter-caste to workers.
The point, if it needed making, is that the diet throughout the life of the larva is critical.
By sealing at day 5, the lava might have a reduced royal jelly diet but it will still have had enough to make it a queen. You have to think of it as a continuum. It won't be the very best, as it would have been if they'd had continuous provision of royal jelly, but, its on the better-side of fair

 

[simonforeman]

Just an update on my first try at grafting....

I have ended up with 2 nice big laying mated queens doing very well in nucs. Onwards and upwards next year.