Grafting, tips and tricks

[Hivemaker.]

Does anyone candle cells?

Almost always.

 

[Lancs Lad]

I found that using the Nicot system that if you left the cell cups as mucky as possible they didn't remove the eggs. Having said that I just graft now.

 

[GuyNir]

....I have had just as good results doing it on the front seat of the pick up.

My favoured grafting station[/QUOTE]

There’s a gadget for that too https://youtu.be/UfX2K9VUgYg

 

[B+.]

My favoured grafting station

There’s a gadget for that too https://youtu.be/UfX2K9VUgYg

Funny you should say that: I ordered one this morning. The pins are designed for Langstroth but I don't suppose it would be too difficult to adapt to other formats.

I first saw it here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEHL5I1_Ayk)

 

[For want of a better word]

Default
Quote:
Originally Posted by B+. View Post
Does anyone candle cells?

__________________
.

Almost always.

Nobody could hold a candle to my* bees!!

** insert your preference...

 

[Poly Hive]

I strongly suspect the angle just wouldn't work for me I prefer the comb much close to horizontal, but that's me.

PH

 

[mbc]

I strongly suspect the angle just wouldn't work for me I prefer the comb much close to horizontal, but that's me.

PH

Aye, a poly nuc lid between the dash and my legs serves well.

 

[SDM]

I actually have a number of concerns about your suggestion.
The ideal is to transfer grafted larvae of the right age into a well-stocked queenless hive. This will be full of nurse bees.
If you give them a frame of brood from your preferred colony, the workers will feed ALL of the larvae. i.e. you are diluting the potential of that cell raising colony. The "ideal" larvae will receive less nourishment than they would have done if you had only transferred them into the cell raiser. Also, by giving the cell raiser a whole frame, they wouldn't necessarily choose the larvae you would. Remember: these bees are in panic-mode and will feed older larvae so they get a "queen" as soon as possible. The ideal, younger larvae will get less food because they have to share it with others.

Im not leaving the frame in, i take it out to graft from. Its the panic feeding im using to ensure even before i graft the larvae are being fed by a full strength starter. Im gaining a few hours. Then once the frame is removed to graft, all the workers stuffed with rj have nowhere to put it til my grafts are returned meaning a queue of workers stuffed with rj the second the grafts go into the starter. At that point the frame i grafted from goes back in its colony.
Makes sense to me.

 

[Ian123]

Thats a similar to my question in a earlier post if any had tried putting a frame of eggs/larvae in the centre of your cell starter/raiser to concentrate feeding nurse bees. It would then be removed before you graft to get that nice clump of bees to slide your grafts into when you return as normal
I suppose the question would be do you get a better acceptance if they are in panic mode and by that time know there is no other option or the benifit of nurse bees on location that have been feeding the larvae and maybe started some emergency cells on the frame of egg/larvae already

 

[dpearce4]

I tried one of those Nicot cages a long time ago. It was a complete disaster. No sooner had I released the queen after getting the cage laid up but they ate all the eggs she had laid in it. That was after following all the instructions (including prep). They just didn't want eggs in the cage!
Like you, I now stick to grafting into dry cups (artificial Nicot cups in my case) without any prep. It works great for me.
Of course, grafts can fail at each stage. The annoying bit is when you have the last few cells sitting in the incubator days after they should have emerged. Eventually, I get sick of waiting and open them up. Guess what I find....a dead larva that had died early in the process. TRPMO

Does anyone candle cells? I do occasionally, but, it rarely adds any value (although, it would have done in the example I cited above).

what is candling cells?

 

[dpearce4]

Do not rush it!

The cell raising colony and particularly the cell starter need to be prepared and well fed and stuffed full to bursting with bees.
Do not give up... cell starter can be used over and over again.

Oh... and keep notes!!!

What extra notes do you keep for queen breeding?

dumb question I know but I'm looking at doing it for the first time this year.

 

[For want of a better word]

What extra notes do you keep for queen breeding?

dumb question I know but I'm looking at doing it for the first time this year.

Date grafting carried out... date to check acceptance.... date to check q cell sealed... Date q cell needs to be caged or moved to nuc... expected to emerge.... expected to have mated by.....

Some even cage the queen to ensure larvae are correct age to graft... day 0 egg laid... day 3 eggs hatch.... day 4/5 graft
You can pick your dated to fit in with other commitments!

Then there is when to get a drone rearing colony set up to provide drones....

BIBBA have some charts on their web page that may assist.

Candling... shining a bright light thru the capped cell to see virgin inside

Chons da

 

[dpearce4]

Date grafting carried out... date to check acceptance.... date to check q cell sealed... Date q cell needs to be caged or moved to nuc... expected to emerge.... expected to have mated by.....

Some even cage the queen to ensure larvae are correct age to graft... day 0 egg laid... day 3 eggs hatch.... day 4/5 graft
You can pick your dated to fit in with other commitments!

Then there is when to get a drone rearing colony set up to provide drones....

BIBBA have some charts on their web page that may assist.

Candling... shining a bright light thru the capped cell to see virgin inside

Chons da

Candling is the same as poultry eggs then, didn't think about that lol.

 

[dpearce4]

BIBBA are running courses this spring.

Mine is south east (roger Patterson was commented as the person running it) would it be worth while going to, have to convince the misses that it is as she doesn't like me doing bee stuff at the weekends.

 

[B+.]

Date grafting carried out... date to check acceptance.... date to check q cell sealed... Date q cell needs to be caged or moved to nuc... expected to emerge.... expected to have mated by.....

My grafting bars are all numbered with the frame and bar number (https://beekeepingforum.co.uk/album.php?albumid=751&pictureid=3766 ). When I graft from queen X, I take a note of the day and queen number. This allows me to track progress through cell raising and, when the cells are sealed, into the incubator.
When the queens emerge from their cell (in Nicot cages in the incubator), I can track them back to which queen laid the egg. The virgin queens are marked with numbered plastic disks and introduced to queenless nucs (which are also numbered). It then depends on whether I want open mated or instrumentally inseminated queens. There is also an insemination log for II queens. All of this is available for audit should the breeding group supervisor ask for it (which he has done).

 

[drex]

BIBBA are running courses this spring.

Mine is south east (roger Patterson was commented as the person running it) would it be worth while going to, have to convince the misses that it is as she doesn't like me doing bee stuff at the weekends.

I found it very worthwhile, and there was not too much BIBBA propaganda. It got me started with grafting. It certainly debunked the idea that raising your own selected queens is a black art.

 

[Newbeeneil]

Just turn off when Roger goes into local bee mode if it attends your ears but the queen rearing theory is very good.
Very worthwhile to debunk the black art that surrounds the subject.

 

[B+.]

Just turn off when Roger goes into local bee mode if it attends your ears but the queen rearing theory is very good.
Very worthwhile to debunk the black art that surrounds the subject.

There's a "black art"? Nobody told me. I'm terrible at art

 

[For want of a better word]

There's a "black art"? Nobody told me. I'm terrible at art

I got good at it when they said I could draw my pension!!!