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I doubt that it is crucial as some folk lift larvae rather than scoop them as we were doing with those Chinese tools with the very thin flexible ends and the plunger to push them off.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jon
Not putting too many at once in one colony was another factor mentioned. Maybe a dozen.
G.
Started putting the course theory into practice last night with Ben Bellamy's queen and Jenter system. Queen had laid eggs in the Jenter, due to put them into a queenless colony on Sun afternoon. Will keep you posted on our results.
The problem I had with the queen raising course there were so many good ways to produce queens It was deciding which method to try. We decided on using the Jenter first just to hopefully get queen cells to try in mininucs. If this is successful then we may try grafting. The other problem we have is the amount of equipment we need to produce lots of queens. ie nuc and mini nucs.
Jimbo
The mini nucs end up costing a fortune. I have 7 Apideas and ordered another 3 a couple of days ago.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jimbo
I prefer 3 frame nucs for mating queens but this year I want to take virgin queens for mating to a couple of apiaries and it is so much handier to use the Apideas.
The allure of their Galtee drones!
I make the nucs myself for next to nothing with correx and gaffer tape. Did you not save any of that election propaganda? I have enough to make 16 nucs and lids.
I have been sticking at the grafting and I think I am getting marginally better. I had 8 more cells started yesterday and have about 20 cells on the go altogether.
9 or the 10 cells we put in nucs or apideas last Sunday have hatched and the other queen was scrabbling about inside her cell but was dead the next day when I checked. I probably should have opened the cell for her.
Hi Jon,
Between Ben and myself I think we have about 12 Mini nucs of various makes and about 15 Nuc boxes. We want to go down the mini nuc road as you don't need as many nurse bees as a Nuc box. I make my own nuc boxes from a sheet of 6mm ply from B&Q. I give them the sizes and they do the cutting. I just have to nail it together. I think I got at least 4 nucs/sheet at a cost of £23.00. One way I was told to check if you have a good queen cell is to 'candle' the sealed cell with a torch, similar to chicken eggs, before putting it into the mini nuc.
If this first batch works I think we will try grafting next.
Jimbo
You can actually see the queen moving through the base of the cup with the cupkit system. She was alive when I put the cell in the nuc but failed to emerge and probably starved.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jimbo
Maybe that is one of the first rungs of selection of hardier individuals.
Hi Jon/Gavin,
Just an update. After the bee breeding course I had a go, not with grafting but using Cupkit. I got eggs within 24hr, 1 day larvae on day 4, used 10 larvae in a queenless colony and have now got 8 near capped queen cells from 10. My next move is to get them into Apidea's next week for mating. I have a question If they mate ok what do you do next? Do you move them into a nuc box to build up? and how do you get a new mated queen and a cupfull of bees transferred from Apidea to nuc. My other question is when would you stop producing queen cells? If we are getting into July is it a bit late to get the colony built up for the winter or is there time to get another round in? Any advise and thoughts apreciated.
Jimbo
Hi Jimbo
There are various possibilities.Quote:
Do you move them into a nuc box to build up? and how do you get a new mated queen and a cupfull of bees transferred from Apidea to nuc.
You can unite via newspaper by sliding out the base of the apidea and setting it over the hole in the crown board.
You could remove the queen from the apidea and put her in a cage to introduce into a new colony or nuc.
You could put the queen inside a queen introduction cage. (the one second from last in the list) I bought one of these and tried it for the first time today. You put the cage over an area of hatching brood and the newly emerging bees accept her and the queen lays in the cells where they emerged. (in theory) The cage is removed after a couple of days.
There will always be some losses when you try to introduce a queen.
I think I had one balled at the weekend.
There is also research which shows that a mated queen is much more likely to be accepted when she is a month old rather than just laying for a few days so it might be best to wait a while before introduction. I don't have the reference to hand but I think it was Australian research.
I have 40+ cells due to hatch from next Tuesday. I have a few queens mated already and I left 8 apideas with virgins at an Apiary with Galtee queens last Thursday.
I have had queens mated well into September so you are ok until mid August weather permitting. You might find that AMM drones are more likely to be flying at the tail end of the season which would suit. Several of my colonies are headed by queens mated in August and September.Quote:
My other question is when would you stop producing queen cells?
You might have to add frames of emerging brood from a stronger colony to build up the late ones.
I had several which were down to 1-2 frames of bees in April and this is barely viable.
I have my last batch of 14 queen cells hatching this Saturday and Sunday.
I am going to be away for three weeks in August but I reckon it would have been possible to keep it going a week or two more.
How are youse all getting on with getting queens mated?
I have had quite a few get lost on mating flights but still have more than enough to do me.
I meant to sell a few nucs but haven't really got round to it so I think I will be overwintering quite a few.
I don't mind as it will give me a good chance to look at the queens and keep the best ones to head colonies next year.
I have some lovely queens from my colony 33, all jet black, and several from colony 31 which are generally browner and slightly banded.
Just to say how pleased we all were that the course went well. The bees quickly recovered with the good weather in early June and we managed to get some grafting done and set up mininucs. Some queens have been slow to get mated with the recent changeable weather.....but we live in hope. I have been experimenting with different sized mininucs and ways of setting them out. Some pics attached. Anyone out there with experience of the very small mininucs?
Alvearium
Hi Alvearium,
After the course I used the cupkit to get my 1 day old larvae. I got 8 from 10 larvae accepted and finally got 7 usable queen cells produced. I used 1 cell in the cell raiser colony and 1 in a queenless nuc. The other 5 cells I inserted into 4 Swi-Bine mini nucs and 1 Apidea. I have removed the queen cells and it looks as though they have all hatched OK There is still not evidence of successful mating yet although one Swi-Bine looks as though there is a drone layer. The recent poor weather I think has set them back but I am still hoping for some success.
Jimbo