Cupkit System

[HensandBees]

ps I love the horse and cart for transport, I wonder if they have any vacancies for trainee managers.....

[GRIZZLY]

If you want to make a "deep" floor like the one shown on the IWF utube video,you can adapt a standard national super or brood box by leaving out the two side boards,making a new "plug-in" back and resting the inner floor board on the two rebates of the top cleats.The opening is the full depth of the remaining side opening.The base is boarded to close this off.I have "mocked" one up in my workshop this morning and it looks feasible.

[ebee]

I used a cupkit for the first time last year. On both occasions I put it in the centre of the broodnest for a day first so the workers could prepare the cells. Queen in the next day. I left her in for 1 day the first time and 2 days the next (I think). Then put the brown plastic cups in the holders and into the queenless part of a rearing hive. So in both cases it was eggs that went in rather than 1 day old larvae. The brown colour of the cups means that you should be able to see eggs through the translucent plastic. Poundland glasses always helps.

Hi Adam, thanks for the clear description of the cupkit being used that info has given me what i needed to try it out.

[Adam]

Commenting on previous posts, in a queenless hive, why would bees not use eggs if they are presented to them?

[Jon]

Dunno! It would not make sense to pass up the opportunity.
I have just had it drilled into me that you graft with very small larvae and I almost always uses a queenright system so I should just shut up about cupkit!

[The Drone Ranger]

I dug the cupkit system out again this year
First use just stuck the queen in and by day two she had laid all the cups
I let her out , left the front off the cassette
The eggs hatched and the bees provided a little jelly ready for transfer to the queen raiser

This month I put the kit in another hive, different bees and queen
Followed the same procedure and released her as soon as eggs were laid up
This time the bees cleared all the eggs from the cups

I stuck the queen back in but this time kept her there after eggs until some hatched and were given a little jelly
I took the larva and put them in a cell raiser and released the queen
Out of interest I then put the cassette back in the hive to see what they would do
Once again they removed everything from the cups apart from a couple of eggs

Odd how different hives act given the same circumstances (possibly time of year might be an influence)

[The Drone Ranger]

Used Cupkit system twice (different hives) this year near the end of May
Put the cassette in the day before then put the queen in only overnight
Left front on cassette and just pulled the white plug out to let her escape
They laid and it all went without a hitch in both cases
The eggs were within 12 hrs of each other so that helps with timing

On the opposite side of the coin I impulse bought a Thorne NB copy of the Nicot (I was in the shop browsing, fatal)
So I grafted into those purple cups a few days ago and got 50% ( 5 takes) so waited for capping and then fitted the roller cages
They slipped off in front of my eyes so I pushed them on harder and watched them just slip slowly off again
Ended up taping the white bit and pushing the rollers on over tape real nuisance
I suppose it's a cheap £25 smaller scale copy of the nicot and likely made in China by someone who doesn't keep bees
I thought Thornes would have tested it before selling though

[busybeephilip]

Genuine Nicot will be marked with the name (thats what Nicot claim). The small version of the box (Thorne NB) is not in the nicot catalog so it must as you say be a chinese import. I was also wondering if purple and brown are the same size.

[The Drone Ranger]

Genuine Nicot will be marked with the name (thats what Nicot claim). The small version of the box (Thorne NB) is not in the nicot catalog so it must as you say be a chinese import. I was also wondering if purple and brown are the same size.

No they aren't the brown nicot cups fall out of the Thorne NB white holder
The parts are are all slightly different size brown.white and cups

[The Drone Ranger]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/CUPKIT-Compl...s=nicot+cupkit
This looks like a good price £28 + £3 delivery
Thornes £70 + delivery
Thornes NB smaller look alike £25 + delivery