ben harding method

[piggy]

Now the Q rearing season is drawing to a close, what have members experience been with the Ben Harding method.

 

[masterBK]

I have examined dozens of GH candidates over the years. Several beekeepers use Ben Harden metthod as their selected queen rearing method when they take the general husbandry exam. Most only managed to produce a couple or so queens and many none at all. It is widely recognised by established queen rearers that a congested queenless colony is far better at starting queen cells form grafts , cupkit etc and queenright colonies better at finishing the cells once started. Those candidates that used Cloake boards (to switch the colony from queenright to queenless and back again) managed to produce lots of queens and rarely had failures (and the few failures that did occur can be blamed on the honey flow suddenly stopping and on the beekeeper for not subsequently feeding the queen rearing colony). Using Horsely boards instead of Cloake boards also works well

 

[protheroe]

Had no problem in the past getting cells drawn but the bees nearly always swarmed so I never use the system now.

 

[piggy]

ben harding

I started this season wanting to achieve 20 mated queens and yes, I used the Ben Harding method, and although it was the least successful it was by far the easiest to set up and manage, and, as Dave Cushman says, it seems to be an incidental process. I think I will use it next year simply so that I can have small batches of ripe queen cells which I find easier to handle in terms of setting up nucs etc., and not all my eggs will be in one basket as far as queen mating is concerned.

 

[bpmurray]

I tried it and from three attempts, got 4 queens in total. while my grafting technique isn't great, it can't really be that bad, so next year I've decided to use a starter colony to get the ball rolling.

 

[Eyeman]

The method employs a queen right colony.
Simplest way to set this up is with a Demaree which will give to both queen cells and swarm control.

 

[piggy]

using a demaree seems a good idea. I find it's not difficult getting enough ripe Q cells, but what happens later. Making up nucs and getting Q's mated is the hard part.

 

[Eyeman]

Making up nucs and getting Q's mated is the hard part.

That would be the same with the Ben Harden method.

 

[MuswellMetro]

i had about 60% success with grafting and less with punch cells using ben hardig but you need a flow on for it to be successful in my opinion

i did have a total failure of 10 punch cells bar in a ben harding this year when the flow stoped but the grafting worked

 

[B+.]

It is widely recognised by established queen rearers that a congested queenless colony is far better at starting queen cells form grafts , cupkit etc and queenright colonies better at finishing the cells once started.

Not by me. I find that the cell starting and finishing is best done by the same queenless nurse colony. Its a bit more expensive in terms of the number of colonies needed but the queens are much better. I do move sealed cells on to an incubator though

 

[Finman]

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I use swarming colonies. I change the larva in the swarming cell. Grafting results are 100 % or at least enough. Queens are big as pigs.

When Queen cells are cutted off and moved to the cage, then happens much violations.

You can avoid cutting difficult cases when you take the cell frame with bees and make a nuc. Then move it to another yard.

 

[Madge]

.
I use swarming colonies. I change the larva in the swarming cell. Grafting results are 100 % or at least enough. Queens are big as pigs. ...

Do you mean you remove the larva from the swarm cell and replace it with a larva of your choice from a colony of your choice (so there's already plenty of food for the new larva) and then create a nuc with that frame?

 

[Finman]

Do you mean you remove the larva from the swarm cell and replace it with a larva of your choice from a colony of your choice (so there's already plenty of food for the new larva) and then create a nuc with that frame?

Yes, exactly
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There are no losses, when you move virgins into to nuc. IT does not succeed in same yard.

If you get 10 virgins, it is better to give all big hive to nucs. Then they start to grow well when new Queens starts to lay..