John Harding

[kiwiuk927]

Hi,
I am trying the John Harding method this year in Queen raising. I was wandering how you get the nurse bee to go into the middle chamber when you are first starting. Do you shake some bees into the chamber with the items you wish them to start working on?

Thanks

 

[DulwichGnome]

This is the second year we have used this system and we have found it is best to leave the center open to the bees but empty of frames for while. Then take two frames of open brood, right down to eggs, from each side and combine in the center, don't shake the nurse bees off as they are the ones you want. Wait till you see queen cells being formed, which you take down, so they are in queen rearing mode and graft into that.

Mike.