New to Queen rearing

[Steve Ridley]

I have just started to rear queens using the Nicot system, having viewed the"Norfolk Beekeeping Company" youtube videos. It all seems very straightforward until tried in practice. The first part of the process of having the bees clean the Nicot cage, and the placing of the Queen into same, and her laying eggs was all fine. However the second part of the process fails completely for me. I have put the small brown cups with the eggs in, into their holders and have a set of ten of these as instructed. This then is placed into a hopelessly queenless hive. On returning after about 4 days, my first attempt the bees had just removed all of the eggs from the cups, and laid queen cells on a combed frame! On my second attempt the bees had just covered all of the cups over with comb? Can anyone advise me what I am doing wrong please

 

[drex]

Sorry, no suggestions. I tried this sort of system for a couple of years and made little headway with it, encountering all sorts of different problems and trying all sorts of suggestions. I get much better results with grafting.

 

[madasafish]

" I have put the small brown cups with the eggs in, into their holders and have a set of ten of these as instructed. This then is placed into a hopelessly queenless hive "

I would expect failure - bees will remove eggs not laid by their own queen..

You should wait for three days after eggs have been laid - at this point eggs turn into larvae- you will see small pools of Royal Jelly (they shine in light at cell bottom)... and then remove the cups with larva and place in Q- colony.. You really need larvae under 24 hours old for best results so when I used Nicot (up to last year).. I always checked for eggs after 24 hours of inserting Queen into cage and kept on daily checking till I found them so I could time exactly the larvae.

(I found it all very fussy but it worked but grafting is easier - once you have learned to do it)

 

[mdotb]

This then is placed into a hopelessly queenless hive. On returning after about 4 days, my first attempt the bees had just removed all of the eggs from the cups, and laid queen cells on a combed frame!

If the bees had “laid queen cells” then they either weren’t hopelessly queenless or were so far gone that the workers were laying. Either way if they have the means to make a queen cell they are unlikely to accept other larvae (whether grafted or from nicot style kits). Madasafish has already pointed out the egg/larvae issue, as I believe did Stewart in one of his videos on the subject, although he had partial success with eggs.

 

[Steve Ridley]

Sorry, no suggestions. I tried this sort of system for a couple of years and made little headway with it, encountering all sorts of different problems and trying all sorts of suggestions. I get much better results with grafting.

Hi Drex - Many thanks for your thoughts, perhaps in time I may try grafting, but for now I will try and persist with the Nicot system

 

[Steve Ridley]

" I have put the small brown cups with the eggs in, into their holders and have a set of ten of these as instructed. This then is placed into a hopelessly queenless hive "

I would expect failure - bees will remove eggs not laid by their own queen..

You should wait for three days after eggs have been laid - at this point eggs turn into larvae- you will see small pools of Royal Jelly (they shine in light at cell bottom)... and then remove the cups with larva and place in Q- colony.. You really need larvae under 24 hours old for best results so when I used Nicot (up to last year).. I always checked for eggs after 24 hours of inserting Queen into cage and kept on daily checking till I found them so I could time exactly the larvae.

(I found it all very fussy but it worked but grafting is easier - once you have learned to do it)

Hi Madasafish - Thanks for your information I will try again and follow your advice ( as I said to Drax grafting may come in time)

 

[Steve Ridley]

If the bees had “laid queen cells” then they either weren’t hopelessly queenless or were so far gone that the workers were laying. Either way if they have the means to make a queen cell they are unlikely to accept other larvae (whether grafted or from nicot style kits). Madasafish has already pointed out the egg/larvae issue, as I believe did Stewart in one of his videos on the subject, although he had partial success with eggs.

Hi Motb - Thank you for your input too - I have taken on board what you and Madasafish have said and hopefully may have better luck on the next attempt