Division boards for queen rearing

[elainemary]

I’m planning using the Cloake board method for queen rearing this season. Wondering to what extent results are different using a screen board (like Horsley) vs fully closing off (like Cloake).

Understand the principle that Cloake closes off the 2 boxes so produces emergency cells, followed by converting to a queen excluder for the cells to be fed well, like supersedure. The Horsley (with excluder closed and mesh open) or a simple screen board would also largely close off the bees between the 2 boxes too, but allows some mingling of hive odours.

Has anyone tried both methods & did / do you achieve different results re numbers of cells / quality of queens produced? Or are both methods equally good?

 

[Murox]

I think you should read this. Tells you why a thinking man created the board in the first place. Michael Badger ~ The Horsley Board ~

 

[Boston Bees]

I think you should read this. Tells you why a thinking man created the board in the first place. Michael Badger ~ The Horsley Board ~

Thanks

Have you used a Horsley Board? Did you find it worked well?

 

[Murox]

Thanks

Have you used a Horsley Board? Did you find it worked well?

I have and it didn't for me - haven't used one in the last 30 or so years - it was all the rage once when it was a new idea
I now work horizontally though I suspect that JBM's version of a "demarre board" is a more satisfactory technique altogether for vertical management.

 

[Boston Bees]

I have and it didn't for me - haven't used one in the last 30 or so years - it was all the rage once when it was a new idea
I now work horizontally though I suspect that JBM's version of a "demarre board" is a more satisfactory technique altogether for vertical management.

Thanks. I'll stick to horizontal then.

 

[masterBK]

I know someone with 35 colonies that uses Horsely boards routinely for swarm control/prevention and he has also used them successfully for queen rearing as an alternative to Cloake board. Split boards with excluder across the central "hole" also work well enough (so called demarree board having been used by beekeepers including myself for decades). There is no real advantage in my experience having larger temporary area of excluder access (as in cloake system) between the queenright bottom box and the upper box. More important is the strength of the colony and making sure there are loads of nurse bees in the upper box and making sure there is a comb of pollen next to the inserted frame of grafted one day old larvae.

 

[Ian123]

With these boards to induce cells, I find you still get better results with a super or 2 between queen and queen less box.

 

[elainemary]

I know someone with 35 colonies that uses Horsely boards routinely for swarm control/prevention and he has also used them successfully for queen rearing as an alternative to Cloake board. Split boards with excluder across the central "hole" also work well enough (so called demarree board having been used by beekeepers including myself for decades). There is no real advantage in my experience having larger temporary area of excluder access (as in cloake system) between the queenright bottom box and the upper box. More important is the strength of the colony and making sure there are loads of nurse bees in the upper box and making sure there is a comb of pollen next to the inserted frame of grafted one day old larvae.

Thanks useful to know, wondered what the pros and cons were of both.

 

[elainemary]

With these boards to induce cells, I find you still get better results with a super or 2 between queen and queen less box.

Thanks

 

[elainemary]

I think you should read this. Tells you why a thinking man created the board in the first place. Michael Badger ~ The Horsley Board ~

Thanks does seem similar in principle to the Cloake board. Think will stick to Demaree for a few cells and Cloake board on my 'best' colony for more cells, rather than over complicate things, with more boards!