Grafting.

[Hivemaker.]

Did first small set of grafts of the year yesterday,19 cells grafted, and 14 taken ok today,in large Queen right colony. These will be transfered to incubator when sealed in few days time,and another set done straight away.I find this much quicker and more flexible than any cup kit system.I use a very fine sable artist brush for a grafting tool.

 

[Poly Hive]

Where in the Q+ colony do you offer them Hivemaker?

PH

 

[Hivemaker.]

The colony is a large colony on two brood chambers,which have been built up strong and even more frames of emerging brood added,so 21 frames of brood,then 2 supers. the queen has been restricted to the bottom box for nine days by Queen excluder,so no eggs or larvae in top brood box to raise cells on,one frame of open brood from bottom box added to top box in center,then graft frame,two supers now divide the two brood box's bottom queen exluder and and the top brood sits over a crown board with one hole in the middle and small cut out at the side to allow drones to fly. When most of the brood in the top box has emerged,it gets put down the bottom for the queen to carry on laying up. small quantity of syrup fed constantly.

 

[Poly Hive]

So you separate by two supers before offering the grafts?

PH

 

[Hivemaker.]

Yes,couple of days before the supers divide both broods,and they could even need another super,or brood box,will shake some bee's out as they get too strong.

 

[Poly Hive]

Sounds like a good plan. Although it is nominially Q+ in reality it is a queenless state that is doing the business.

I wont be ready to start for another three weeks I think.

PH

 

[hedgerow pete]

my lot are building up but noway near as quickly as i wanted, on a double brood box but for some reason they are just starting alot slower than the great plan, do these bee's not know of the great plan!!
I reackon it will be at least another three to four weeks before i start to implant the cup frame, i dont have an inc so i do it the old fashioned way

 

[Hivemaker.]

Yes,the bee's in the top box do indeed think they are queenless,athough they have full run of the hive,top to bottom,so can pop down to give mum a kiss goodnight if they wish. It also serves to keep most of the mischevious little cell building bee's up the top doing what they want to do,make cells, instead of down the bottom in with the queen. I also use the starter box's,when its time to weaken this lot,they can be shook into a broodless box,raise some more cells,then be split into mating nuc's with a cell that they have produced each.

 

[hedgerow pete]

thanks for the tips i will try them out

 

[Hivemaker.]

Just need to get into action with this now,just been placed in its dedicated new home.

 

[Polyanwood]

Wow! Is that yours?

Is there a book to read to learn to do this queen rearing? I want to have a go next year. I think that if I am to carry on gving away nucs to the deserving I want to do a bit better than just picking the best looking swarm cell.

Can anyone do it or does it need special skills and expensive equipment??

 

[Hivemaker.]

No you do not need any special expensive equipment to produce Queens. Just need to select the desirable colonys from which you use there larvae.

 

[Polyanwood]

I am still squirming about my favourite queen being in a nuc ready to give away, but odds are that the kiwi super gentle queens will be OK... so what do i do?

This year I watch and see how they do. Then in the Spring i will know the queen with the qualities I think are best. Do you think that i should just carry on as before just using swarm or emergency queen cells from my favourite queen. I thought that that was the type of queen breeding that everyone looked down their nose at?

 

[hedgerow pete]

i have only one thing to say about your setup and thats

wow
well, how Jealous am I

 

[MJBee]

Hivemaker,
I know you like to use an incubator once the cells are sealed. I believe the correct temperature is 35C, what level of humidity do you run at?
After today's disaster I want to protect the next batch as much as possible.
Regards Mike

 

[Hivemaker.]

Hi Mike,yes i really do prefer the incubator for Queen cells,i don't keep the humidity at any specific level,just keep the water tray filled and the vents very slightly open,so the humidity is quite high,like it would be in a hive with all the bee's fanning the moisture out of nectar.I read on another forum where someone in a hot country had to sometimes use ice to keep the temp down on hot days,never had that problem. The only humidity i really keep to a critical level is the timber kiln with wet bulb dry bulb depression.

 

[BKF Admin]

I have been hatching eggs for many years and only once did I need to increase the humidity,they came out snotty so never again.

I would assume that bees are the same so need to be run dry ?

 

[Hivemaker.]

No not dry,humid,never had any snotty queens,one came out without a crown once,lol.

 

[i.b.nuttz]

The colony is a large colony on two brood chambers,which have been built up strong and even more frames of emerging brood added,so 21 frames of brood,then 2 supers. the queen has been restricted to the bottom box for nine days by Queen excluder,so no eggs or larvae in top brood box to raise cells on,one frame of open brood from bottom box added to top box in center,then graft frame,two supers now divide the two brood box's bottom queen exluder and and the top brood sits over a crown board with one hole in the middle and small cut out at the side to allow drones to fly. When most of the brood in the top box has emerged,it gets put down the bottom for the queen to carry on laying up. small quantity of syrup fed constantly.[/QUOTE

This is a great system very much the same as one i`ve used for years got 16 taken from the16 offered in the queen rearing hive at the moment but i am going to try the incubator for the first time with them

 

[Hivemaker.]

Ten of my 14 have emerged today,spot on 16 days from egg,4 to emerge,these are just chewing there way out now. The first ten are now in mini nuc's, swi-bines, bought from the buzzy bee shop,can recommend these, and the exellent service from this supplier.link below. introduced by anesthetizing the bee's for about 30 seconds with co2, then open the lid and drop in the virgin among the sleeping bee's. next set of grafts into incubator tomorrow,this time 16 out of 18 taken and now sealed,time to get another colony on the go doing the same.

http://www.buzzybeeshop.co.uk/