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what way do people charge mating nucs with virgin queens and bees from different hives?
Darren
Darren
best way to charge mating hives??
- Thread starter biglongdarren
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do you put the queen in a cage or just throw them all in?
meidel
House Bee
Hi Darren
I shake or brush bees into a clean gardening trug, flying bees fly back, spray remaining nurse bees with scented thin syrup (a drop of rose water in half strength), scoop a couple of handfuls (my hands are small) into apidea/mating nuc, spray virgin with same syrup and run her in from the top, close up and pray.
So far, my prayers have always been answered
and leftover nurse bees in trug are poured into the nearest open hive.
I shake or brush bees into a clean gardening trug, flying bees fly back, spray remaining nurse bees with scented thin syrup (a drop of rose water in half strength), scoop a couple of handfuls (my hands are small) into apidea/mating nuc, spray virgin with same syrup and run her in from the top, close up and pray.
So far, my prayers have always been answered
and leftover nurse bees in trug are poured into the nearest open hive.
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On occasion I have dropped the VQ in and then tipped a cup of slightly damp bees on top of her....
This year I have mostly been putting QCs into mating nucs a few days before Qs were due to emerge. Where I have used emerged Qs, I have introduced them in a hair curler with a bit of fondant and paper capping one end and cork in the other end or just dropped them in. Currently have Qs in about 18 of my own Nucs/mating Nucs and another 20+ belonging to folk in the Queen rearing group. I plan to graft again tomorrow night from a couple of different stocks. That will probably be the last grafting I do this summer.
This year I have mostly been putting QCs into mating nucs a few days before Qs were due to emerge. Where I have used emerged Qs, I have introduced them in a hair curler with a bit of fondant and paper capping one end and cork in the other end or just dropped them in. Currently have Qs in about 18 of my own Nucs/mating Nucs and another 20+ belonging to folk in the Queen rearing group. I plan to graft again tomorrow night from a couple of different stocks. That will probably be the last grafting I do this summer.
