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Thread: Queen Rearing pdfs

  1. #21
    Senior Member prakel's Avatar
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    When funds finally allow I'll be going that way too I think, but the bees need to pay for them if they want 'em.

  2. #22

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    That's my plan. Raise lots of queens in Apideas, replace old or bad tempered residents and place surplus into polynucs for overwintering. I hope I breed enough!

  3. #23

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    Just to breathe a bit of life into the thread/forum! I was thinking why I had so few grafts started this year, they were put into a q+ demaree? Ben Harman method set-up. Maybe I would have had a better acceptance rate if I had made up a q- starter nuc, as seen in the PDF's Prakel posted, (what alot of P's!). Or, as I think could have happened, they dried out before putting back into the hive? On some vids on the internet beekeepers cover over each graft with a damp cloth before going on to the next one, I could try doing that. What I found interesting was that there is no brood put into the starter nucs to compete with the bees willingness to tend to the grafts, while if starting in a Q+ hive brood must be brought up to were the grafts are placed to attract the nurse bees up. Do any forumers use starter nucs, is there a better acceptance rate?

  4. #24
    Administrator gavin's Avatar
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    Default Queen Rearing pdfs

    If it was a sunny, drying day and especially if you didn't work quickly then they might have dried too far. However if conditions aren't right then the Q+ system works less well. Do it while the colony is feeling prosperous (good forage, good weather) or feed during the week before and during cell raising. Also some colonies seem more reluctant to cooperate.

    Going Q- should force them into it, even when conditions are less good, but is that a good thing? Prob best to ensure that you have conditions right for raising good queens first. Lots of young bees, lots of pollen, lots of food coming in.

    Sent from my BlackBerry 8520 using Tapatalk

  5. #25

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    Hi bejazz
    I used the upper box of a Snelgrove split on two hives and a queen right hive with brood above a super and QX as per Jon recommendation they both work fine
    The first set of grafts or punches had fewer takes than the second set so they might need to get into their stride first
    On one of the boxes over the Snelgrove though I got some takes on the first set then zero next time --tried again -- nothing
    I missed a queen cell some where and there was a virgin in the box with the grafts
    I left her to mate but she became a drone layer and had to be replaced anyway
    Should have known better

  6. #26

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    Same experience as myself Beejazz. It was my first year and I concentrated too much on the grafting or other starter methods and did not prepare the cell raiser colonies (only tried 2) adequately.
    Having read a lot more recently I will start preparing the cell raisers several weeks prior to ensure they have a good supply of nurse bees and food.
    Will be cloak board at next year's first attempts.
    Never got around to either miller or hopkins so might try those as well next year.
    This is a long term thing for me so when I find what suits me best I will stick to it.

  7. #27

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    Hi DR
    I’m interested in your queen rearing over a Snelgrove board. Do you use a swarming colony or one you think is about to swarm? Then, once divided, do you wait to knock down all queencells before grafting or punching? What about using those little doors to bleed off bees? I would have thought the more bees the merrier (well it is December) in this case. Many questions I seem to ask!

  8. #28
    Administrator gavin's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Beefever View Post
    Many questions I seem to ask!
    Its good to ask questions ... especially if there's a hint of Yoda about them!

    I'm also puzzled by the use of a Snelgrove board. The widely used queenright method of Wilkinson and Brown (also called the Ben Harden method) is based on the Demaree procedure (as is, I suppose, the use of a Snelgrove board).

    The method was discussed here:

    http://www.sbai.org.uk/sbai_forum/sh...-queen-rearing

    and for completeness sake this is the crucial PDF that many queen raisers turn to:

    https://secure.fera.defra.gov.uk/bee...ment.cfm?id=36

    The alternative is to stuff a queenless box with feel-good young bees, pollen and nectar/syrup plus feel-good flying bees to keep the goodies coming in. A Snelgrove board is to bleed off flying bees into the queenright box, isn't it?

    The advantage of the Wilkinson and Brown method is that you can maintain a colony in that state for a relatively long time, just weekly performing the Demaree procedure of young stuff and pollen up top and queen, space and some of the sealed stuff down below.

  9. #29

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    Quote Originally Posted by Beefever View Post
    Hi DR
    I’m interested in your queen rearing over a Snelgrove board. Do you use a swarming colony or one you think is about to swarm? Then, once divided, do you wait to knock down all queencells before grafting or punching? What about using those little doors to bleed off bees? I would have thought the more bees the merrier (well it is December) in this case. Many questions I seem to ask!
    Hi beefever
    Because of oil seed rape and the bees I have, I would expect my first swarm by the end of May if I didn't do anything
    So the boards have to go on before bees make any swarm preparations (definitely no queen cells)
    ThHat's a guide for me though, not a rule, and this year everything was much later
    The important thing is the Snelgrove board has to go into a hive before they get the swarming urge or make queen cells
    They do need a nectar flow and be building up well with an extra broodbox added to give expansion room

    Here's the notes for one of mine which I reared cells with
    29/4/13 =3 frames brood (6 sides)
    17/5/13 =5 frames brood
    26/5/13 =6 frames brood put on second box drawn +foundation
    03/6/13 =6 frames brood lots bees
    06/6/13 = split ready for snelgrove (excluder and super in place)
    08/6/13 = Snelgrove board on
    14/6/13 = remove 1 queen cell put in frame with 16 grafts
    17/6/13 = 14 acceptances (wait till ripe take for apideas)

    30/6/13 bring frame of eggs/larvae from bottom to top let them raise a queen cell for themselves
    27/7/13 top box 3 frames brood bottom box 7 frames brood
    07/9/13 top box 3 frames brood (bottom not noted)

    The queenright method is easier to keep going for more attempts I think
    The first attempt gave 4 out of 12
    then followed 5 out of 10

    I did try some grafts in other hives as well using the queen right method but not strictly by the book
    I don't know how many queens I raised in total but it was a fair few with 11 apideas and 4 Keilers full all the time
    most went into replacing my chalkbrood or grumpy or old queens and distributed 7 or 8
    Next year I will keep better records and start earlier

    Ps you you don't need to use the little doors (if cell raising)
    I have boards on almost all the hives so that gives me options
    started season with 15 or so boxes of bees finished with 26 or thereabouts
    Last edited by The Drone Ranger; 01-12-2013 at 05:52 PM.

  10. #30

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    Cloake board is supposed to be the best of both worlds.
    I.e. 24 hours queenless to get the cells started, then balance of queen cell feeding under supersedure response to ensure they are well fed and have fully developed ovaries.

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