Using a short test frame of eggs

[Etton]

I intend to use a test frame of eggs for Q presence in a 14x12 deep brood box.
Is there any reason why I cant use a short (super) frame from a hive which is brood & a half? Will bees still create a Q cell on a short frame within the 14x12 brood box? I prefer not to remove a full frame of brood & eggs from the donor hive.
(I recognise the bees may draw down comb over the 16 days on the short frame.) Another benefit could be less risk of damage to the QC if I'm checking the hive.
After hatching I could replace the short frame with the 14/12 frame moved earlier.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Yes

 

[oliver90owner]

No

 

[SDM]

Yes but I wouldn't.
Give them a full.test frame. Check back in 48hrs. If they're building a queen cell cancel it and give the frame back to donor hive if you wish. Buy a queen.

 

[Poly Hive]

I have used a graft before now as a successful test.

PH

 

[B+.]

I intend to use a test frame of eggs for Q presence in a 14x12 deep brood box.
Is there any reason why I cant use a short (super) frame from a hive which is brood & a half? .

It doesn't matter where the larvae are. If they're queenless, they will try to draw cells on them.
You don't need to leave it 16 days (indeed, you shouldn't). Queen cells are sealed, on average, 8 days after the egg is laid. However, in an emergency, they'll choose older larvae than you would usually select for grafting. Consequently, if you leave them for 8-9 days, you'll find sealed queen cells if the colony is queenless.
It's a simple matter to run your hive tool along the bottom bar to remove any comb they may have built, so, no need to worry about that.

 

[Etton]

Thanks for relpies. Decided I should leave a large frame (will have to be a national bb frame) rather than short (super) since if I make sure there is brood on the frame these can be the nurse bees as Q- hive will have aging bees and no new brood.

 

[mazzamazda]

I have used a graft before now as a successful test.

PH

+1 for that, why use a full frame when you can get away with a single larvae, less disease risk too.

 

[fatshark]

There were posts on here years ago when someone (apologies, can't remember the moniker ... Roland? Avatar had a bloke wearing glasses and taking them off I think) used a single cell cup stuck to a small flat, pointed slice of tin can.

Graft into the cup, slide the pointed end of the aluminium into the comb of a supposed queenless hive and incubate.

I've done this and it works. The bees ignore these if queenright, or start to draw a queencell on the grafted larvae if not.

 

[sherwood]

You may even cut a small square of eggs, or 1-3 day old lava and scrape one side clear and leave that peice resting across two top bars the cells are thus orientated to be queen cells.

 

[masterBK]

Why do people say they use a test frame of just eggs? Better to use one with young larvae present as sometimes if you just introduce eggs they simply get cannibalised even if queenless.