Q rearing by numbers

[prakel]

Ok for a backup queen in case of failure but not perhaps for replacing older queens before Winter
Better Weather might change all that and knock 10 days off the time

We'll push on for another couple of batches in the confident knowledge that, locally, late August/September usually gives us some really good matings. On the otherhand, our eperiment of starting early (mid April) this year was a failure both in poor matings during May despite a very large drone population and reasonable weather and in the damage it did to the over wintered mating nucs which could have been allowed to keep their queens for an extra three or four weeks if I'd followed our usual practice of not starting tilll May.

Just shows that with bees it doesn't always pay to listen to the experts. Better to do what 'feels' right, a lot of the time.

Next year we're back to a May start.

[prakel]

Here's me putting queen and attendants into their cage for posting ...

After today's practice session, as a result of watching one of Kate's videos, I may well be on the road to conversion from a 'thorax holder' to 'leg lock specialist'.

[The Drone Ranger]

Managed to get some keilers made up today
IMGP0917.jpg
This virgin was going into one where the laying queen was taken out yesterday
the cage is a bit unnecessary but they will eat the candy in a day and she will be out
IMGP0894.jpg
There were 18 on the cell bar
13 new keilers were made up plus the one in the pic makes 14
3 cut the lid on the cell and just croaked
One flew away as usual grrrrrrrrr...

[drumgerry]

I'm a bit late catching up here but just wanted to say to Kate that I enjoyed your video. You were a model of calmness and your bee wrangling skills are to be admired. I was putting a few queens into the same JzBz introduction/traveling cages this afternoon and one of the buggers ended up dropped in the grass! Luckily I found her but good job there was no filming going on at the time to make me look a right pillock!

[Kate Atchley]

Thanks drumgerry. Queen rearing for others is mostly new to me so it's all beginner's luck, I'm sure. And we were enjoying that non-rainy day!

[drumgerry]

You're being too modest Kate! I've been at it a good few years now and I can still drop a queen in the grass.

I hear you about the weather....we're promised sun and 21C tomorrow so I'm hoping to get a fair bit of bee work done!

[Peter]

I would be interested to know how long everyone leaves a nuc queenless before introducing a cell.

I made up mating nucs by de-queening and then splitting nucleus colonies, so some had flying bees and some not. Introduced 13 protected (hair roller) cells 2 days later, but in 6 of the 13 the bees destroyed the ripe cell (and the virgin) and built their own Q cells. Never had this happen before.

[Kate Atchley]

I made up mating nucs by de-queening and then splitting nucleus colonies, so some had flying bees and some not. Introduced 13 protected (hair roller) cells 2 days later, but in 6 of the 13 the bees destroyed the ripe cell (and the virgin) and built their own Q cells. Never had this happen before.

Oooo, very tricky action by the bees.

Before opening the flap on queen cages from Colonsay yesterday, I remembered that the nucs they had been put into on arrival had been made up 2 days in advance. So I checked for Q cells. Sure enough there were fine cells in all of them ... now squished. Do hope the queens will be accepted okay.

But if cells are already started before a Q emerges from her cell, would that spell her demise?

[Jon]

If I take a queen from an apidea and put a cell in immediately there is usually no problem.
If I wait a day or two they will have started a cell of their own from a larva and they may opt for this one as opposed to the introduced cell.
If I don't have a cell to introduce immediately I always check and remove any started cells when I introduce a grafted cell a few days later.
When you remove a queen you have 12 days to get a new cell in before any queen can emerge from something they concoct themselves.

[The Drone Ranger]

I would be interested to know how long everyone leaves a nuc queenless before introducing a cell.

I made up mating nucs by de-queening and then splitting nucleus colonies, so some had flying bees and some not. Introduced 13 protected (hair roller) cells 2 days later, but in 6 of the 13 the bees destroyed the ripe cell (and the virgin) and built their own Q cells. Never had this happen before.

Hi Peter nice to see you posting regularly again
Do you think the ones with flying bees are more likely to take executive action when presented with a foreign cell
I maintain that when you re-queen grumpy bees they often just bide their time and bump her off then raise one of their choosing (usually another ill tempered brute )