Queen rearing

[Tim.S]

I have got several very nice hives this year and I would like to raise maybe 6 to 10 new Queens from these good hives.
I should say right now that I am only doing this for a bit of fun and to get to learn a little more about keeping bees. This is not about improving the world for mankind!
I am aware of the various methods having read many books etc and have kept bees for 5 or 6 years now so am not a beginner (just!). Usually I just take a q/c and make a nuc up which has worked perfectly up til now but feel I would like to try something a bit more challenging.
How would the forum experts go about this?

 

[Heather]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y64cKn4rLNM&index=7&list=PL6EED6684E5F97742"]FatBeeMan 1 Minute Tip Very Easy Queen Making - YouTube[/ame]

Hopefully the above will down load.

I have also tried grafting but only small success. I made cups from melted wax and attached to a frame. I let the bees prepare before I transferred a hatched egg (1 day larvae)

 

[Tim.S]

Thanks Heather. I do like the fat man. No fussin just facts!

 

[oliver90owner]

How would the forum experts go about this?

Very simply, if it ain't broke, do you need to fix it?

KISS principle, action wherever possible!

You don't say if this is all in one lot at one time (graft) or over the queen rearing season (use queencells, preferably obtained by demaree).

What the expert queen rearers do is not necessarily appropriate for you. If you must 'dabble', choose any and/or all the methods you have read about and try it/them.

 

[sugarbush]

Fat Bee Man may sound like a dumb southerner, but he is no fool.

 

[Midland Beek]

What point raising new queens if they have no end use?

 

[fatshark]

I assume the 'just for fun' still means you're going to actually use the queens? If so … with 6 colonies try Googling 'Ben Harden' icon_204-2 and use your 'best' colony - you define what's best, temperament, frugality, honey gathering, lack of swarming (which might be a good reason if you've always used swarm cells in the past) etc. - as a source of young larvae. It's a simple way to learn the basics - and fun. With OSR in full swing, now is a good time to start.

 

[Tim.S]

Thank you all for your advice - all duly noted. The Queens would all be used, not just for the hell of it. I take Rab's point and under normal circumstances he's right but in this instance I want to expand my knowledge and get a bit more hands on experience too.

 

[Little John]

If you like making stuff - then check out the Morris Board system, which operates above a single brood box, although some folks (who haven't read the blurb carefully) are under the impression it requires a double brood colony. T'aint so.

Any of the well-known methods of selecting eggs/ young larvae can be used. If your eyesight is anything like mine, consider using a cell-punch rather than graft. I see that Roger Patterson has just updated the cell-punch page on Dave Cushman's old site. http://www.dave-cushman.net/bee/cellpunch.html

LJ