Home made queen cell handling kit

[Poly Hive]

The no graft obisticle is one you hve to sort out for yourself. I learnt to graft and that is again something you have to learn yourself. You can get some tips, but basically its finding what works for you.

Now... one of the big problems with queen cells is that they are pretty fragile and handling them is not the best thing to do. The cup people sell all the little doo dads to help with this so your larvae in its cup is attached to that and then this and so on and.....

Have a look at the pic. The cup is made by dipping a 9mm former into molten wax. Keep the wax just above the temperature it is skimming over at and you will get on better and faster. Made by santing down and rounding over a 10mm bit of dowel.

The cell handler or top hat as I call them is 18mm dowel pinned and glued to 25mm dowel. All these can be found at a DIY shed in the mouldings rack.

The bit of stick with the holes was a bit of stick I drilled to hold the top hats so drilled out with an 18mm wood bit and rattled around to give that extra clearance. You don't want to be having to get rough here.

Now why the ability to handle well.... After I get them accepted I don't want to waste the starter box so I graft into that again. That leaves me a batch of larvae needing a home so... into a top super they go. Then when sealed they can be used in making up nucs or allowed to hatch in nursery cages and popped into mini nucs.

REMEMBER what is where or you will have the joy of umpteen virgins running around your super.....

See under £10. KISS The only thing in the set up that is painted is the brick on the hive. Blue showing for nursery cages. Yellow for sealed cells and red for grafts. YOu can paint your bricks what ever you like so long as YOU know what it means. One side is left grey so I know that is not involved in the queen side of things.

This kit is not tatty thanks, its been well used....... I hope yours ends up the same.

PH

 

[Curly green fingers]

The no graft obisticle is one you hve to sort out for yourself. I learnt to graft and that is again something you have to learn yourself. You can get some tips, but basically its finding what works for you.

Now... one of the big problems with queen cells is that they are pretty fragile and handling them is not the best thing to do. The cup people sell all the little doo dads to help with this so your larvae in its cup is attached to that and then this and so on and.....

Have a look at the pic. The cup is made by dipping a 9mm former into molten wax. Keep the wax just above the temperature it is skimming over at and you will get on better and faster. Made by santing down and rounding over a 10mm bit of dowel.

The cell handler or top hat as I call them is 18mm dowel pinned and glued to 25mm dowel. All these can be found at a DIY shed in the mouldings rack.

The bit of stick with the holes was a bit of stick I drilled to hold the top hats so drilled out with an 18mm wood bit and rattled around to give that extra clearance. You don't want to be having to get rough here.

Now why the ability to handle well.... After I get them accepted I don't want to waste the starter box so I graft into that again. That leaves me a batch of larvae needing a home so... into a top super they go. Then when sealed they can be used in making up nucs or allowed to hatch in nursery cages and popped into mini nucs.

REMEMBER what is where or you will have the joy of umpteen virgins running around your super.....

See under £10. KISS The only thing in the set up that is painted is the brick on the hive. Blue showing for nursery cages. Yellow for sealed cells and red for grafts. YOu can paint your bricks what ever you like so long as YOU know what it means. One side is left grey so I know that is not involved in the queen side of things.

This kit is not tatty thanks, its been well used....... I hope yours ends up the same.

PH

Thanks Pete I've copied this for future reference .

 

[Parsonage Bees]

Thanks Pete I've copied this for future reference .

#wanted to use that smilie#

 

[drex]

Have been grafting for a couple of years now, having tried the cup kit method and not getting on too well. My first attempt resulted in about 40% acceptance which I was really pleased with. It is not difficult. I researched well. Decided to use the Cloake board method. My main tip is to be organised, especially with dates, and to have the kit you will need ( not a lot) all to hand. Anybody can do it. I select from my best queens. Ruthlessly cull any not acceptable and my bees have improved as a result. I am not a breeder ( as per B+), but I do raise more than enough good queens for my own use, and take spares through winter in ordinary home made wooden nucs .

 

[jeff33]

Thanks a lot Pete for your time putting all this together and sharing, much appreciated.

 

[Curly green fingers]

#wanted to use that smilie#

# #

 

[Cuckmere couple]

thanks PH

very useful indeed...will try to have a go....