Just teasingOriginally Posted by Jon
Lovely. Work out the postage for four dozen for me, would you please?
Seriously, they're good 'uns. Be proud of them
Tangent: Dad gave me one of these for my birthday this year and it's become my tool of choice. Replaced the 30 year old remodelled dental pick that my he handed down to me, which is saying something.
I use a fine paintbrush. Could never master the Chinese grafting tool which is what most people seem to use.
larva on brush.jpg
haven't really tried the type of tool you use.
I put the cells in apideas this evening as we have a severe weather warning out for tomorrow and I can't be arsed getting wet. Two days before hatching is usually ok, although I prefer to cage the cells with rollers and leave it to the last possible moment.
Last edited by Jon; 07-07-2011 at 01:08 AM.
Must try alternative tools next time. We were looking for grass stalks to bite the end but all we could find was some Poa trivialis which comes pre-flattened and didn't seem suitable.
The Chinese tools have rather broad flexible tips. Good for scooping and lifting but not so good for sliding off at the other end, particularly if you pushed it quite far on. A bit of practice will surely make perfect though, whatever your chosen implement.
I set up a trial about four years ago, using one queen raiser through the season to compare tools. Commercial 16x10 cell bar frames are deep enough for three rows of queen cells. One row grafted with paintbrush, one with Chinese tool, one with dental pick, all at the same time. Once I'd got the hang of each tool, results were identical. It comes down to personal preference, choice of material, and care in movement.
The trick that most people fail to understand with Chinese tool is that you don't use the plunger to push the larva off. Instead you use the plunger to hold the larva steady whilst you withdraw the tongue from under it. Sort of like removing a tablecloth without upsetting the teacups (in slow-motion!), and quite an unnatural hand motion until you've practised.
The paint brush is by far the most elegant tool, but until I can find a cranked paintbrush I'll carry on with the Swiss tool. I don't enjoy squinting around my hand and the grafting tool!
Didn't Doolittle work with chewed/whittled matchsticks?
The cranked tool shown in Dan's photo is excellent (my view). The chinese tool, although the favourite weapon of the GBBG, was impossible to manipulate and I acknowledge the fault was more likely to be mine. There is an inexpensive tool on ebay - has anyone fired one in anger? I may get one , it would be something else to blame if things went awry.
I prefer the paintbrush but have a problem in getting the larva off the brush into the base of the graft cell.
Some books suggest priming the base with dilute royal jelly.
Anyone do this?
The trick to getting it off is how you pick it up. The larva needs to be on the very tip of the brush. I always graft into dry cups.
larva on brush.jpg
The brush is rotated as it is withdrawn from the cup and that leaves the larva behind.
larva in cell cup.jpg
Last edited by Jon; 25-05-2013 at 05:41 PM.
Thanks.
Do you pick p the larva from the back of the C or or from the concave front?
Think "banana" rather than "C" and yes attack from the back - doing it that way ensures you don't get bitten.
Last edited by Dark Bee; 26-05-2013 at 05:05 PM.
On reading the above again, a little elaboration might not go amiss, in case someone thinks I am an agent for the Western Islands Banana Growers Association.
When grafting larvae the object is to graft the youngest larvae possible. These are straighter than a "C" shape, the curve is more"banana" shaped than "C" shaped. Larvae with wrinkles are also too long in the tooth.
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