Queen raising 2014

[gavin]

I was thinking of using my Paynes polyboxes as mating nucs with just a single brood frame in each.
The frame would go against a wall with an insulated dummy on the other side.

Do remember to allow the bees access to the entrance! (As if you wouldn't ... )

I think Gavin mentioned a system he uses which is a split box above a snelgrove board or something like that.

Yes, I still use it as a means of generating nucs with new mated queens, for increase or boosting the vigour of a colony in mid summer prior to the flit to the heather. A split board as described by Wedmore. When you get the hang of it you can introduce a frame of eggs and change the female line that way if you want. Described here:

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

With some pictures:

http://www.sbai.org.uk/sbai_forum/en...ing-the-splits

Paynes nuc boxes are easier and I now have a good few of these.

I dont think the mesh floor would be good for returning virgins- too much opportunity for confusion IMHO.

Yes, workers and presumably virgins can get lost under the floor when they're not used to it. When putting a split into a Paynes box with the entrance at the base (old design) now I usually put a piece of wood under the entrance to stop them walking under. The new design has the entrance high up the side and I think that will lead to less confusion.

[Jon]

Do remember to allow the bees access to the entrance! (As if you wouldn't ... )

There is a bee space under the dummy boards.

MBC

I dont think the mesh floor would be good for returning virgins- too much opportunity for confusion IMHO.

A little rectangle of correx inside the nuc sorts that out.

[prakel]

I dont think the mesh floor would be good for returning virgins- too much opportunity for confusion IMHO

As someone who generally avoids mesh floors can I ask, are you referring to confusion in the sense that the queens simply miss the door and don't manage to get back in to the hive or, do you see a possible issue with a kind of overpowering of her senses resulting from an increased exposure to the scent of several mating nucs all in pretty much the same condition in the same area.

[Jon]

I had a swarm arrive in the garden last June into a Payne poly box and the queen ended up under the floor.

[mbc]

A little rectangle of correx inside the nuc sorts that out.

That will do it, but to open up the ventilation the frames would have to be removed, not ideal! The original design was shown on Williams famous wealdplace farm website and it showed a solid bottom and a separate ventilated top cover for transport, much preferable IMHO.
Edit: the fixed internal feeder, too narrow to get my hand in, rules the paynes box out from me using them for mating too, saying that, I do use them quite a bit and have not had a queen in the feeder, so far!

As someone who generally avoids mesh floors can I ask, are you referring to confusion in the sense that the queens simply miss the door and don't manage to get back in to the hive or, do you see a possible issue with a kind of overpowering of her senses resulting from an increased exposure to the scent of several mating nucs all in pretty much the same condition in the same area.

Returning queens can get "stuck" under a mesh floor as the smell tells them they're in the right place but they cant understand why they cannot get through the mesh, and occasionally will die trying without ever making it round to the entrance!

[Jon]

That will do it, but to open up the ventilation the frames would have to be removed, not ideal!

I was only planning to have 1 frame in it anyway.
I have about 15 of these Paynes boxes and thought they might make decent mating nucs with just a single frame of bees and a ripe queen cell.
I'll give it a try anyway but I still love my apideas!

[mbc]

I was only planning to have 1 frame in it anyway.
I have about 15 of these Paynes boxes and thought they might make decent mating nucs with just a single frame of bees and a ripe queen cell.
I'll give it a try anyway but I still love my apideas!

A vast space for one frame of bees to heat and they'd build wild comb as soon as you took your eye off them if they were successful.
I use them as a 'drop and go' way of using mated queens from mininucs usefully, one frame of brood and a frame of stores with enough bees to cover both, plus a mated queen and a feeder full, made up in early August can be left without much further attention for 8 months and be a valuable commodity to use how you will in April.

[Jon]

The space will be filled with a fat dummy frame so the bees will only be in a small area for the single frame of bees to heat between the wall and the dummy.
The dummy frame is 50mm thick of polystyrene so the insulation is good.

correx-box-insulated-dummy.jpg dummy boards.jpg

[Adam]

I'm way behind this year. My polystyrene boxes need cleaning properly as I didn't get around to it during the winter.
The bees are more advanced. Having been away and not inspecting for close to 3 weeks, I was surprised to find so many drones in the hives; so the bees are ready even if I'm not.

[greengumbo]

[QUOTE=Adam;24772]I'm way behind this year. My polystyrene boxes need cleaning properly as I didn't get around to it during the winter.
The bees are more advanced. Having been away and not inspecting for close to 3 weeks, I was surprised to find so many drones in the hives; so the bees are ready even if I'm not.[/QUOT

3 of my hives are doing well but one that I hoped was just lagging behind has a queen that is only laying the odd drone and nothing else. Time for a squish and a graft I think. Plenty bees so they should be fine and I can replace her with a nice AMM. Drones now flying from my 2 biggest hives so virgin should get mated easily enough...I hope !