Incubation Temps & Moisture

[bee crazy]

Hello People

Can anyone tell me the tempeture for incubating queens or tell me of a good book for info. I have just bought an incubator and from what i can gather moisture is just as important as temp.Is this true and can anyone offer any advice

still building frames around 530 to go!

James

 

[drstitson]

AFAIK its roughly 33-35 with decent humidity - 80% or so.

 

[wightbees]

I don't know but could you add something damp or a wet cloth to help with this.
only a guess mind

 

[Poly Hive]

The big incubator at Craibstone ran at 33C and had a constant supply of water and a rag out of the water container to increase the uptake.

It is very important to have separation between the virgins and also fed in the cage. A match head drop of queen cage candy is good, more and they can make a right mess of themselves.

PH

 

[Hivemaker.]

Hi James
i run my incubator at 35c,or just a fraction under,and keep the humidity high...65/85 with a tray of water placed on the bottom grid,also keep good air circulation. Queens will not last very long if left in an incubator at this temperature,so i remove emerging queens either straight to the mating nuc's,or to another incubator running at around 30/32c with a tiny amount of food,but even then not for very long. All my grafted, sealed cells go into an incubator.

 

[bee crazy]

Thanks everyone

pete do you think i should get a humidity gage? also i'm not going to graft (don't know how) i'm going to raise them like old timmer is that ok


about 460 frames to go!

 

[Poly Hive]

I would call the gauges on an incubator essential.

Ya need temp and humidity. Not expensive to get these days. A decent green house one with a probe would do.

Only way to learn to graft is to invest in a decent grafting tool and practise.

PH

 

[drstitson]

combined digital temp hygro gauges by exo-terra are under £20 on ebay. thats what i have in my poultry incubators (and in all my hives).

 

[bee crazy]

Thanks PH & drstitson

one more thing i heard on the crape vine that when q/c are ready for hatching the bees help the queen out by chewing the cell is this correct and if so will i need to help them out if they are in a incubator?

still 460 frames to go

 

[Hivemaker.]

They emerge just fine in an incubator,no help needed.

 

[Poly Hive]

They are fine with DIY.

HOWEVER take on board the drop of feed that they need or face losses that need not be.

PH