1st grafting attempt

[Wmfd]

Brilliant & thanks. Order is in with buzzybeeshop for grafting tool, cups, cup holders, sockets and hair roller cages.

I've already got four mating nucs (Keilers), two of which are currently occupied but should be empty by the time any successful grafts come through.

So now it's just wait for the bits to come and then get cracking!

David

[The Drone Ranger]

Brilliant & thanks.
I've already got four mating nucs (Keilers)

David

Hi They are out of stock at the moment but these might be added to the keilers (if you were trying to overwinter queens in the mininuc)
https://www.modernbeekeeping.co.uk/i...nuc-upper-body
You need top bars as well they are 40p each

[Wmfd]

Hi They are out of stock at the moment but these might be added to the keilers (if you were trying to overwinter queens in the mininuc)
https://www.modernbeekeeping.co.uk/i...nuc-upper-body
You need top bars as well they are 40p each

Ah yes, that could actually have been me buying the last ones.

I bought a couple last week, as the two Kielers I have queens in were starting to look a bit crowded (I've held them waiting for a couple of hives that were in the process of rearing their own queens to act as spares). I was worrying about them upping and leaving.

I've got them sat on top of both now with some home made top bars, I can't do grooves in them, but the bees don't seem to mind!

[The Drone Ranger]

Great stuff Wmfd

[greengumbo]

Another 2 takes out of the remaining 4 spaces I re-grafted - original 2 cells all sealed

Nice one. Silly question but when do people start grafts in Spring / Summer - already planning next year. I guess when drones start to get produced ?

[Jimbo]

I start when the drones are sexually mature. You can check this by popping a drone. I think Gavin might have a picture that explains this.

[Jon]

When you put drone comb in your drone colonies it will be about 40 days after that assuming the queens lay in it right away.
24 days to emergence and drones are sexually mature at about 2 weeks from emergence.

[fatshark]

And the only additional thing I do is calculate back about a month at a time from the dates of my summer holiday to ensure I've got queens out mating then. Not perfect and certainly weather dependent, but it's great to return and find newly mated and laying queens in the nucs.

[Jon]

And the only additional thing I do is calculate back about a month at a time from the dates of my summer holiday

Last year I was away for nearly 3 weeks in July and I had 22 mated queens when I got back home which was a nice surprise.
I have well over 20 mated this year as well.

[greengumbo]

Okay next steps ! Queen due to emerge tonight / tommorrow by my calcs.
I filled an home bodged mating nuc last night with about 1/2 pint of bees, added fondant to the feeding compartment, put the entrance to ventilate position, left in garage - celebrated with a wee dram.

Garage had about 40 bees flying around in it this morning - doh ! Seems they had pushed the entrance disc out.

So I aim so pop the ripe QC in today and then move to a friends apiary and let them loose this evening. 2 Questions - Do I open the hair roller cage or remove it completely when adding the QC ? do I need to keep them closed up with the QC for a while ?