Nicot

[eddyh]

Hi,has anyone used the nicot system of rearing queens, and if so how easy is it,and is it a good method.Accordining to what i have read it is a wideley used system,any info appreciated please.

 

[The Drone Ranger]

Hi EddyH

I have used the nicot cassette system
It comes with instructions but I take some shortcuts
First screw the cassette to the top of an empty brood frame
Then cut a sheet of foundation into sections and surround the cassette with it
Load up all 120 cups into the cassette
Catch the queen and put her in the cassette place this in the centre of the brood nest
Check next day to see if there are eggs in the cups (there probably wont be)
The bees will be starting drawing the wax in the frame surrounding the cassette
Check the next day.
if there are eggs take the front off the cassette releasing the queen and wait till the eggs are larva on day 3 you can easily see the little pool of brood food
The large brown bases are fixed into your queen rearing frame
Take one of the cream coloured mid sections designed to hold the cell cups and use this as a tool to lift out the queen cups from the rear of the cassette
(they are slippy and fingers struggle for grip)
Move the cups to your cell raising bar and then into the hive you are using as a cell raising colony
Next day you can check and all the accepted ones will have a ring of wax where a queen cell is started

In one of my hives the bees just took all the eggs out of the cassette after the queen was release which meant I had to put her back in and leave her there for 3 days till the larva hatched
Then she was released and the queen cups taken for the cell raiser right away

You won't need all 120 cups if she lays them up so pick the favorite ones and wash out the rest of the cups right away before they become difficult to clean

I found there is no real need to put the cassette in days before the queen, or spray it with wax, or syrup, or honey , nor cut out a drawn comb to insert the cassette -- it's not necessary to do any of that stuff

 

[fiftyjon]

In one of my hives the bees just took all the eggs out of the cassette after the queen was release which meant I had to put her back in and leave her there for 3 days till the larva hatched
Then she was released and the queen cups taken for the cell raiser right away

I had a few occasions when this happened, there wasn't much sealed brood on the adjacent frames, perhaps the bees considered the eggs were in the wrong place. Leaving the queen in until larva were seen (4-5 days from when the queen was first put in) overcame the problem.

It is a system that I used this year fairly successfully.

 

[Goran]

It is great risk to bees club Your queen when hold it in " cassette" for three days. Usually they hold it for 24 hours in cassette, no longer. When checking does queen laid ( first check here do after 14-16 hours) and let her in it till 24 hours. This way they do to avoid cleaning eggs. But as time pass the risk of queen clubbing is increasing ( as they claim - I am not so experienced with cassette rearing nicot or jenter).. One beekeeper said to me that he once left some time longer than 24 hours and as he released queen they clubbed her..

 

[For want of a better word]

I have found that the Nicot chamber needs to be in the queen supplying hive for a minimum of three days for "annealing"
Timing is essential... as is an easy to find and prolific laying queen.
I introduce queen at precisely 12.00 noon ( day 0) and release her at precisely 12 noon the following day (day 1). Three days later ( 36 hours,,,) the eggs hatch (Day 3) the cell cups containing larvae are placed into the cell rearing colony in the holders on day 5
This cell rearing colony MUST have bee prepared 8 days prior to the queen being placed in the Nicot cage..... a very strong double brood colony with easily found marked queen.
queen is placed below a good queen excluder ( I use BHS plastic ones) not zinc or wire, and brood frames with good covering of nurse bees above in upper box... generally I also add a 1/2 frame of brood as well as a strong colony needs to be double brood and 1/2 !. An alternative ( Preferred by James Kilty) is to use a completely q- colony.
On day 14 the sealed queen cells can be placed in an incubator emerging on days 15 t0 18.

Queens are caged in the incubator for hatching then placed in a cage within the mating nuc ... ( made up with young filtered bees on day 12 to 13) and clipped and marked as we carry out instrumental insemination... or not marked or clipped and taken to our isolated mating area.. where we have 50 + Amm colonies providing drones ( and quietly strangle anyone who dares to bring anything else in!)

BIBBA have an excellent downloadable action chart that updates automatic with dates... although I have developed my own ( and easily usable single sheet system as I have a rolling programme and would get muddled If I tried to use a computer programme)

Success rate of egg to mated queen producing colony was 20 % with Amms this year and we raised over 100 queens... so for every run ( Nicot cells full 80 eggs to cell cups) expect losses.

Great system, well worth experimenting with... and more sucessful ( for me ) than grafting!
Very best of luck!

 

[fiftyjon]

It is great risk to bees club Your queen when hold it in " cassette" for three days. Usually they hold it for 24 hours in cassette, no longer. When checking does queen laid ( first check here do after 14-16 hours) and let her in it till 24 hours. This way they do to avoid cleaning eggs. But as time pass the risk of queen clubbing is increasing ( as they claim - I am not so experienced with cassette rearing nicot or jenter).. One beekeeper said to me that he once left some time longer than 24 hours and as he released queen they clubbed her..

The queen wasn't balled when released, this worked for me on many occasions.

 

[fiftyjon]

I

Success rate of egg to mated queen producing colony was 20 % with Amms this year and we raised over 100 queens... so for every run ( Nicot cells full 80 eggs to cell cups) expect losses.

Great system, well worth experimenting with... and more sucessful ( for me ) than grafting!
Very best of luck!

Similar results for me but not using Amms though.

 

[mbc]

I have found that the Nicot chamber needs to be in the queen supplying hive for a minimum of three days for "annealing"

All good advice, I would add that to improve the chances of the queen laying soon after being introduced to the cage, it helps if her colony has been given a light but continuous feed for a good week beforehand.

 

[For want of a better word]

All good advice, I would add that to improve the chances of the queen laying soon after being introduced to the cage, it helps if her colony has been given a light but continuous feed for a good week beforehand.

Breeder queen colony and the cell rearing colonies MUST be strong for success.
I am going to use FEED BEE a Canadian pollen substitute next season, as I have seen some very good results from bee breeders who use it.
Mixed with1:1 sugar syrup it looks and smells a bit like Veggiemite... so I presume it is a yeast protein of some kind, as labelling says it does not contain pollen or soya.

Helped to bring a couple of very small late mated colonies on to 10 frames in no time!
Hope this is not

 

[eddyh]

Thanks for all your replies,and advice will try this system out next year;looks like one of easier options as appose to grafting for a beginner like me.

 

[mbc]

Breeder queen colony and the cell rearing colonies MUST be strong for success.
I am going to use FEED BEE a Canadian pollen substitute next season, as I have seen some very good results from bee breeders who use it.
Mixed with1:1 sugar syrup it looks and smells a bit like Veggiemite... so I presume it is a yeast protein of some kind, as labelling says it does not contain pollen or soya.

Helped to bring a couple of very small late mated colonies on to 10 frames in no time!
Hope this is not

I tried feed bee and my bees didnt seem to get on with it at all. If you're brave enough to taste it (dont put anything in your hive you wouldnt put in your mouth, I use euthamol toothpaste !) you'll find it tastes a bit like mushy peas, could it be mostly pea flour ?
Strength of the breeder queen colony is mostly irrelevant IMO, what is important is that they are in an expansion phase and have their queen accelerating her laying, she then finds it difficult not to lay in the nicot or cupkit cells, however reluctant she is.
I like the cupkit cells due to the convenient cages and a good base to grab with fat fingers, but find it much more convenient to grafft into the cells than going through the rigmarole of caging queens and hoping they'll lay in artificial cups according to my timetable.

 

[For want of a better word]

I tried feed bee and my bees didnt seem to get on with it at all. If you're brave enough to taste it (dont put anything in your hive you wouldnt put in your mouth, I use euthamol toothpaste !) you'll find it tastes a bit like mushy peas, could it be mostly pea flour ?
Strength of the breeder queen colony is mostly irrelevant IMO, what is important is that they are in an expansion phase and have their queen accelerating her laying, she then finds it difficult not to lay in the nicot or cupkit cells, however reluctant she is.
I like the cupkit cells due to the convenient cages and a good base to grab with fat fingers, but find it much more convenient to grafft into the cells than going through the rigmarole of caging queens and hoping they'll lay in artificial cups according to my timetable.

Somewhat expensive mushie peas!
Perhaps I should try a trial with Lava Bread for the bees..... unfortunately have a deep freezer full of it!