Queen rearing video

[BKF Admin]

20 years old now but still a very nice video:
How to rear honey bee queens, by George McCrone

 

[Heather]

A good video and I think I followed most, ( rewatch needed) - and encouraging that even experts can fail a bit- My bees didn't accept any larvae from my first attempt (no jelly) but had started to build up the cups.
Regrafted yesterday and inspecting this afternoon. Probably Clive de Bruyn will sort me out this weekend as I attend the rearing course. But I just fancied having a go before then

And I went down the road of a broodless queenless Nuc with loads of nurse bees shaken in .- maybe will know better by Monday

 

[BKF Admin]

I also failed 2 weeks ago.

They refused to accept the queen frame so last week I gave the hive a frame of brood to test,still no queen cell.

Yesterday I made the decision that I must have a queen in there so spent 20 minutes searching and low and behold I found the shortest queen I have ever seen,she would of fitted through a QE no problem.

So now its plan C,I will give her 10 days to start laying or she gets the chop !

 

[Heather]

Well, I looked into my queen rearing Nuc. They have started to develop 5 of the cups - but the larvae have no royal jelly, and according to PB they start throwing it in within the 24 hours.
My other Nuc -the queen has emerged so am not looking there for 1 week to allow her time to mate and maybe lay.