Jenter kits

[Brian Bush]

I have had a terrible season losing one queen after another. My last year queens were poorly mated and I have lost 3 old relaibles without being able to raise a new queen due to the poor weather.
I have tried grafting without success.
Tried the Jenter kit after failures in previous years had sucess with 15 viable larvae. Took the kit out and covered with a cloth and drove the mile to the out apiary.
I had a large queenlees poly nuc that was drawing comb. The frame with the cell holders had been in place for 8 days and the bees had started comb on some cell holders.
Transferred the starter cups with larvae into cell holders on frame and returned to Nuc.
After 4 days only one cell had been fully drawn and contained a larva and royal jelly. Seven days after transfer went to check sealed queen cells. Not even this single cell contained a larva.
Has any one any advice from personal experience. The transfer fron brood box to nuc took less than 30 mins including travelling time. I am now beginning to wonder about my procedures and total inability to sucessfully raise a couple of queens

 

[For want of a better word]

IMO you would have been better to transfer a frame with eggs to the queenless nuc.

I have found that larvae in the Nicot cups dry out quite quickly and have had better luck using a warm and damp cloth to cover both the Nicot and the receiving frames.

A q+ lower brood and q- top brood hive seems to work.... on double National brood boxes, with a filling super above... ie a really healthy and buzzing colony.

Look at the Fat Bee Farmer Youtube ...on queen rearing for some interesting methods!
Very best of luck !

 

[mbc]

A queenless nuc doesnt sound optimal for cell raising.
I agree with Icanhopit that double brood with an excluder is a good way to go, I get good results with a Cloak board.

 

[For want of a better word]

Tell us more about Mr Cloak's amazing board... have read it up but looked to be a bit more complex than need be?

 

[mbc]

Tell us more about Mr Cloak's amazing board... have read it up but looked to be a bit more complex than need be?

Its a very simple device which facilitates making the top box temporarily Q- by sliding a board above an excluder (which also has an entrance)and then making the top box Q+ but with the queen excluded below by the excluder by sliding out the board. Its normally used in tandem with a modified floor which has a closable front entrance and a small closable back entrance. The evening before grafting the front bottom entrance is closed and the back entrance is opened and the board slid in which makes the top box Q- and crammed with bees as the returning flyers go up there, perfect for starting cells, the next day after grafting the board is removed making the top box with started cells Q+ perfect for finishing the cells by the supercedure principle. Its easier to do than to explain (once the boxes are set up), and maintenance just involves raising a few frames of brood over the excluder occasionally if you wish to graft many times during the season.