queen breeding

[mrpastry]

When the queen cells you have made have been accepted and you have used the ones you require how do you keep the rest ready for sale if i wanted to, do i put sealed cells into cages and keep them attched to the comb in the hive so i can remove when one is ordered if i decide to sell any

 

[RoofTops]

Not sure I understand the question. The queens will emerge at the appointed hour and if they are caged when this happens then they should be safe providing all other queens are caged, but they need to be mated in no more than about two weeks otherwise they cannot mate.

Mated queens can be put back in cages and kept in a super above a queen excluder. Here they will keep for several weeks, but there can be issues such as the bees chewing the queens' feet, which is why some people who do this "queen banking" suggest the cages need an area where the queens can hide from the workers if required.

Sealed queen cells are sometime sold or given away but the time window for doing this is fairly narrow - only the last few days otherwise the immature queen could be damaged by the handling unless it was done very carefully.

Do a search here for "queen banking" and you will find more information.

 

[Poly Hive]

Going price would be about £1.

PH

 

[Skyhook]

One possibility would be to put them into mini-nucs for mating (apidea or similar).

 

[drstitson]

"only the last few days otherwise the immature queen could be damaged by the handling unless it was done very carefully."

also just after sealing apparently when the larva is very active and spinning cocoon.

 

[drstitson]

OP

although there is a small informal emergency "market" in ripe queen cells amongst local beeks that is unpredictable and of little or no value to you.

what you need to be doing is raising cells, transferring to mating nucs and then selling mated queens.

suggest you do some reading before considering queen rearing.

 

[Arfermo]

Some breeders instrumentally inseminate. Saves the boys wearing themselves out?

 

[RoofTops]

Saves the boys wearing themselves out?

Er...in AI the "boys" are squashed between finger and thumb. If I was a drone I think I would know which end* I would prefer.

*No giggling at the back - it is not meant to be a pun!

 

[drstitson]

two options - thrill of the chase followed by orgasmic death OR a quick squish w/o the preceeding enjoyable bits.

 

[Finman]

.
When I handle queen cells, quite often they are violated.
To sell queen cells make no sense. It do not take many days when the queen emerge.

the difference is perhaps 3-5 days. to where it is so hurry?

What is the advantage of the buyer?

.

 

[Kate's Bees]

Curious about AI in bees. So I gather from the above posts that you squish the drones till the sperm comes out? How on earth do you then get it into the queen?

 

[drstitson]

The same way a drone does only queen is anaesthetised (CO2) and you use a pipette or capillary rather than the normal "device". oh and you hold her parts agape with little billhooks.

bit like a night out with premiership football team!!!!

 

[Finman]

.
here are pictures
http://images.search.conduit.com/search?q=instumeltan insemination&ctid=CT2088347&searchsource=13

 

[For want of a better word]

The same way a drone does only queen is anaesthetised (CO2) and you use a pipette or capillary rather than the normal "device". oh and you hold her parts agape with little billhooks.

bit like a night out with premiership football team!!!!

Footballers..... that will be lots of cheap larger then... nothing sofistikated!

 

[OXFORDBEE]

Curious about AI in bees. So I gather from the above posts that you squish the drones till the sperm comes out?

Um ... no. Squishing the drones won't give you what you want. You have to be a bit more subtle. They are boys after all!!

 

[wightbees]

the basics

 

[Skyhook]

Um ... no. Squishing the drones won't give you what you want. You have to be a bit more subtle. They are boys after all!!

Shouldn't be too hard to squash the right bit. I've seen mothballs, and they're huge!

 

[For want of a better word]

Shouldn't be too hard to squash the right bit. I've seen mothballs, and they're huge!