Hair curlers for queen cells

[Curly green finger's]

Good afternoon everyone.
This season I've used hair curlers in Mating nucs and my incubator with good success.
I got the idea from my grandad as he use to use them for his qcs.
Im planning to use them again.
Anyone else used them or used them for other introductions.
Cheers

Mark.

 

[Apple]

Good afternoon everyone.
This season I've used hair curlers in Mating nucs and my incubator with good success.
I got the idea from my grandad as he use to use them for his qcs.
Im planning to use them again.
Anyone else used them or used them for other introductions.
Cheers

Mark.

Once upon a time!
Probably another reason for divorce!

Now use the Nicot equivalent

 

[Nige.Coll]

I use kitchen foil when introducing queen cells.

 

[Newbeeneil]

I use the finger of an old nitrile glove with the end cut off when introducing queen cells. I cut the tip off, push the cell to the bottom of the finger with just the tip showing and use a drawing pin to secure to the frame. The nitrile protects the sides of the cell just like silver foil but I've always got an old glove in my van.

 

[Murox]

I use the finger of an old nitrile glove with the end cut off when introducing queen cells. I cut the tip off, push the cell to the bottom of the finger with just the tip showing and use a drawing pin to secure to the frame. The nitrile protects the sides of the cell just like silver foil but I've always got an old glove in my van.

Now that is a novel approach.🏵

 

[Apple]

Once upon a time!
Probably another reason for divorce!

Now use the Nicot equivalent

Should add that I do not like to handle the cells, and the Nicot cage would have already have been fitted over the queen cell on its cup and holder already in the queen rearing colony.... so why make yourself more work
Simple to remove whole unit and flip open end when putting into Keiler mating nuc

Got idea from Swinbees and modified to that Nicot cage

Trialed using the QMP strips to help prevent absconding in the nucs for last couple of seasons
Covid stopped any extensive comparisons this last season as my seasonal helper / beekeeper was self isolating.

We had to put the poor lad on the PPP diet for a while

Pankakes, Pizza, and Plaice.... and anything else that would fit under the door!!!

Chons da

 

[Ian123]

Many years ago I used them for introducing queens, tissue over the ends with elastic bands to hold it in place.

 

[madasafish]

Nicot cages much easier.

 

[Ian123]

Nicot cages much easier.

Don’t think they had been invented then or at least they weren’t available in lee’s

 

[rolande]

Haven't used any kind of cell protection for years. Very rarely have a cell damaged. Just doesn't seem worth the bother

 

[madasafish]

Haven't used any kind of cell protection for years. Very rarely have a cell damaged. Just doesn't seem worth the bother

I use an incubator for QR.. Much more consistent results..and easier.

 

[Curly green finger's]

I use an incubator for QR.. Much more consistent results..and easier.

best thing I did this season was use our egg incubator for finishing cells of.
Virgin queen intro was good, something I will be doing more of next year.

 

[madasafish]

best thing I did this season was use our egg incubator for finishing cells of.
Virgin queen intro was good, something I will be doing more of next year.

I prefer raising and mating Qs in mini nucs. Each to their own.

DIY incubators are very easy.. electronics from ebay and bodge a poly box out of poly cartons.. £30 tops..

 

[Curly green finger's]

I prefer raising and mating Qs in mini nucs. Each to their own.

DIY incubators are very easy.. electronics from ebay and bodge a poly box out of poly cartons.. £30 tops..

We to had Mating nucs.. I was agreeing with your comment about having the use of a incubator is very handy if you have excess capped qcs.

 

[mbc]

I use an incubator for QR.. Much more consistent results..and easier.

Swings and roundabouts, I prefer to introduce cells and know if they emerge then it's almost guaranteed she'll be accepted, some won't emerge successfully sure but fewer in my experience than introduced virgins never making it for whatever reason, and that's from a fair few hundred sample size.

 

[Curly green finger's]

Swings and roundabouts, I prefer to introduce cells and know if they emerge then it's almost guaranteed she'll be accepted, some won't emerge successfully sure but fewer in my experience than introduced virgins never making it for whatever reason, and that's from a fair few hundred sample size.

Do you use an incubator mbc?

 

[mbc]

Do you use an incubator mbc?

No, cells into mini nucs to emerge into her new family.

 

[Curly green finger's]

No, cells into mini nucs to emerge into her new family.

Sounds like an ending to a beautiful story.

 

[rolande]

No, cells into mini nucs to emerge into her new family.

Just that.

I've thought about using an incubator but in the end couldn't be bothered with adding another stage to the process. With our set up, if a mating nuc goes wrong we can usually just pull the division board, let them mix with the adjacent nuc and get back into balance then, when the next batch of cells are ready, replace the division and add a new cell. Won't suit many but has worked fine for us over a lot of nucs for a long time.


With specific regard to mbc's comment about letting the queens emerge amongst their new family,100% agree. It was watching the 'hands on' attention which the workers give to the cells as the new queens approach emergence that first caused me to look at the need to use bee barriers in the form of cell protectors. I expect Jay Smith was close to the mark when he said that if the bees are stopped from tearing down a cell they don't like they'll have little regard for the queen that emerges from it.

 

[Ian123]

Cells 1-2 days before emergence placed into Nucs. Always use a cell protector even at thrones it’s a few pounds for a hundred, it’s pointless not protecting your work till that point. Protectors or at least the 1s I use also have a handy spike for holding the cell on the comb, so no dropping it between 2 frames as I’ve done