Queen rearing pics

[Jon]

In an Ideal world I wouldn't be staring at a forecast for bucketing rain Saturday and Sunday Lol!
I'll bear it in mind for next time though

Mr roller is your friend when the weather is grim and you can't get out to the cell raiser colony!

[The Drone Ranger]

A little honey; not difficult to obtain if one knows someone who keeps bees, placed in the recess in the cage floor has been known to assuage the initial royal thirst.

they are quite capable of feeding themselves the lazy cows
When I've used a push in cage to introduce mated queens I push it in where it breaks into some honey and the queen who has no attendants usually goes straight over and helps herself to a a good nosh

[The Drone Ranger]

Mr roller is your friend when the weather is grim and you can't get out to the cell raiser colony!

Or on a bad hair day
What's happening with the queen suicides are they nuts??

[mbc]

I know, but it works far better if you put a couple of workers in as well. They can groom the queen and feed her. When a queen is on her own if she gets sticky from honey or fondant she can't clean herself.

There is usually a bit of food left over inside the queen cell but she will go back in there after the food and die in the cell with her head in it.

A useful tip, thanks Jon.
I recently lost four virgins who hatched into empty cells over the weekend when I couldnt get to them, and I have kicked myself about it since, elementary mistake !.
Next time I will certainly put in a few workers and some honey if I know theres a chance I wont be able to get to them for a while. Letting the cells hatch in the nucs is certainly easier.
How do people who let them emerge in incubators go about it ?

[Jon]

How do people who let them emerge in incubators go about it ?

The ones I know check them pretty often. Another tip I was given is to remove the cell, nip it, and replace it so the queen cannot get back inside. they do go back in there and die sometimes.

[The Drone Ranger]

Well in my usual ignorance when I have harvested queens from ripe cells
I just help the Q/C cap to open with a sharp knife and capture the virgin in a queen introduction cage
The introduction cage will be sealed by candy but a couple of drops of liquid honey on the mesh of the cage is needed
Also a drop or two of water during the day
Then that night spray the lady with a very thin sugar solution
Open the entrance of the keiler help her in the door
Rubbish method but I've got away with it many times

Now I will be following the better methods everyone has described here

[The Drone Ranger]

Snelgrove boards --the easy way to get new queens

What is the margarine lid I hear you say
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It helps the young queen find the entrance on her mating flights


When you split the colony over a snelgrove board feed the bees in the top
They don't have flying bees and they are raising queen cells
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You can raise queen cells above the board
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If the Queen below the board is not great knock off the queen cells from her brood and use your choice

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Best bit you still get a good chance of honey
whats not to like

[fatshark]

Kieler frame feeders. Much better for fondant than the one supplied with the nuc. Bees are less likely to build comb in them and they fit in the - shallower - upper story for overwintering.

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[The Drone Ranger]

Fatshark you should have a business manufacturing all these specialist queen rearing improvements

[lindsay s]

I was lucky enough to attend a queen rearing demonstration at our secretary’s apiary today. Alex a visiting New Zealand beekeeper was kind enough to provide the equipment and then show us how to do the grafting. The frame with cups was introduced to the hive 24 hours before the grafting took place. Photos 2 and 3 show Alex doing the grafting and he expertly filled all the cups in just a few minutes. After that we all tried out the grafting tool and to be honest I think I’ll leave the grafting to the others in our group. Next weekend he will check how many cups were successful before we make up nucs ready for queen cells to be introduced in 9 days’ time. Alex will be here to give us a hand with that as well. As this is the first time for our group there will be no messing around with mini nucs this year. I’ll keep you posted.