Shook Swarm for Queen Rearing - Help Please

[Adam]

In response to the following question, could anyone detail their precise method please?

"making up of a shook swarm suitable for introduction of grafted larvae"

Many thanks,

Adam

 

[Poly Hive]

Easy method.

Put open frames of brood above an excluder and next day shake them into a nucbox. No queen to worry about.

More diff way, shake frames of young bees into nuc box without hijacking the queen/s

Feed well over night, give a frame of pollen and the grafts and leave over the next night.

Taken grafts (accepted ones) will have clusters of bees around the cups. May be some waxing of the lip of the cup. WILL be royal jelly in the cup.

Hope this helps.

PH

 

[marcros]

More diff way, shake frames of young bees into nuc box without hijacking the queen/s

Feed well over night, give a frame of pollen and the grafts and leave over the next night.

Taken grafts (accepted ones) will have clusters of bees around the cups. May be some waxing of the lip of the cup. WILL be royal jelly in the cup.

Hope this helps.

PH

This is more or less how I do it. I have found that keeping them in a cool dark place for about 4 hours before introducing the graft is helpful. (it has worked for me, so I dont change it, maybe this is unnecessary) A good bump on the ground will stop them flying out when quickly introducing the grafts/cup kit larva, and then back to the cool dark place for a couple more days (keep feeding and spray occationally with water). Let them fly on the 3rd day, although you can check acceptance after 24 hours.

 

[BKF Admin]

A good bump on the ground will stop them flying out when quickly introducing the grafts/cup kit larva.

Thanks Marcros,never thought of doing that,they always seem to be on the perspex cover when I open up.

 

[Poly Hive]

If you check your acceptance level after 12 hours, and yes it is that fast... then you can give them another batch and again the following day so if you are waiting for three days I am getting treble joy!

Accepted grafts will be nursed happily in the top super of a strong colony. Yes you will likely lose a few but that is the game. Give the bees lot to choose from and trust their judgement.

PH

 

[ainsie]

Hi P.H. hope this isn't a daft question but when you make up your box of bees, to get the cells started, do you put them in an empty box and then put in the grafts and pollen frame the day after or does the box contain frames.Hope to have a go this year just trying to get it clear.Cheers Ainsie

 

[mbc]

check out this chaps clever cell starting box

http://beeman.se/index-f.html

go to 'my equipment' then 'queenrearing'

 

[Poly Hive]

I leave them with nothing but a feeder, a FRAME feeder with one to one syrup.

These bees have to be desperate to create a queen, their one focus is just that, survival by creating a queen.

I put in a frame of pollen more or less at the same time as the grafts.

Make very sure there are no eggs on the pollen frame ..... or brood of ANY sort.

PH

 

[ainsie]

Many thanks PH, that clarifies things, I want to keep it simple sounds a good system.Cheers Ainsie.