Queen-rearing in a queen-right colony

**Mellifera Crofter** · 09-06-2016, 10:16 AM

When rearing queens using the queen-right method (Ben Harden method) you add the frame of cells in the top brood box; seal the top box from the bottom box with the queen for a day; and then open them and wait for the cells to be capped. Now, with all those growing or sealed queen cells in the top box, wouldn't the colony be induced to think it's time to swarm? I don't want to lose my precious queen.
Kitta

**gavin** · 09-06-2016, 11:21 AM

Hi Kitta

The Ben Harden method (really the Wilkinson and Brown method: http://www.nationalbeeunit.com/index.cfm?sectionid=80 ) only uses a queen excluder and super to separate existing queen from grafts. No issues with swarming in my experience (or anyone else's I believe).

Many folk (including me) who have used found it less reliable some summers but perhaps with the better conditions this year it will do well.

G.

**fatshark** · 09-06-2016, 11:29 AM

Hi Kitta
With Ben Harden you don't seal/separate the boxes. With the Cloake board you do. The separation of the maturing/sealed QC's means the colony does not swarm. At least, not usually. I have had a BH cell raiser swarm through my own incompetence in not checking for QC's in the bottom box.

**fatshark** · 09-06-2016, 11:34 AM

Gavin and his nimble fingers beat me to it as I was reading a PM from him ...

I'd certainly second his comment re. reliability. There needs to be a good nectar flow or feed them well. As the OSR goes over (perhaps not a problem for you) it gets trickier. I've built Cushman-Style fat dummies with inbuilt feeders and even gone so far as sprinkling pollen in drawn comb one side of the grafts.

**Mellifera Crofter** · 09-06-2016, 02:01 PM

Thank you, Gavin and Fatshark. I'll relax!

I've separated the boxes with a crown board for a day (Ben Harden in his booklet suggests that might improve acceptance), and I'm about to go back and replace it with a queen excluder. They were on double brood, Fatshark - so no need for dummies.

They have lots of honey and nectar and pollen - but I'll go and add some syrup as well. Thanks for mentioning that, and thanks for the link, Gavin.

Kitta

**fatshark** · 09-06-2016, 03:37 PM

On a well-packed double brooded colony I'd have been tempted to use a Cloake board where you can manipulate the top box to be literally overflowing with bees. The colony manipulations are simplicity itself ...

**Mellifera Crofter** · 09-06-2016, 04:01 PM

No - I failed. When I went back this afternoon to exchange the crown board for a queen excluder, I saw that they've let all the larvae dry out, so I removed the cell frame.

I don't understand the 'simplicity itself', Fatshark! I'm going off to learn some more about queen-rearing later in July. Perhaps I'll wise up then.

Actually, it was a disappointing afternoon. A newspaper unite I did also failed. I did it two days ago and thought I heard them chewing away, but when I opened it, I saw that they've done nothing. They all flew out and back to the site where their hive used to be. So, I rehoused them there and will have to sort them out later.

Kitta

**Mellifera Crofter** · 10-06-2016, 12:02 AM

Thank you, FS, Jon and DR. I did not know one can check the grafts so quickly. I'll let the colony recover now from all that kerfuffle I caused them and try again Monday or so.

I tried all those tools: a 00 brush, the Chinese tool and a metal one. I mostly used the metal one. Perhaps I should have trimmed the cell walls more for a better angle.

I'll try again!

Kitta