Tom
Many members of the Bee Improvement and Bee Breeders' Association use the
Jenter system for obtaining young larvae of known age from a selected
colony. Here is Albert Knight's account of how we use it
Regards Angus Stokes
 
The Jenter System
 
The system is a method of getting the queen to lay in plastic cells that
are in two pieces, the base of the cell, and the rest of it. The base is
removable and once it has a tiny larvae in, it is removed and a separate
cell top clicked on to it to give a normal looking cell. These number about
100 set in a plastic box with holes to accept these removable bases. Around
each of these removable cell bases are static cells that give the whole a
normal appearance of comb. The box is set in the middle of a brood frame,
sufficient comb being cut out to allow the box to be inserted. It is
screwed into the top bar (two "legs stick up from the box) and wire is used
to anchor it to the bottom bar. The "comb" in the box is one-sided, the
back of the box has a plastic cover that can be removed to gain access to
the back of the cells. The front also has a removable cover, but this has
queen excluder sized slots in it to let workers into the comb to service
the larvae. The removable cells protrude so one can grip them. The whole
box is about the same thickness as normal brood comb.
 
        When the Jenter is first used it needs to be "primed". That is the comb's
plastic foundation needs to drawn out by the bees.  The front cover is left
off at this stage. Once the comb has been drawn out the unit is ready for
use. There may be some honey stored in it, but this will be removed once it
is in use.
 
To use it, the front cover is put back on, in the centre of this has a
circular removable disc for inserting the queen. With the queen inserted
the circular cover is replaced, the queen can now only lay in the box area.
By the way the circular disc should have a piece of frame wire attached to
it, this can be tied to one of the queen excluder slots, in this way it
never gets lost. The frame must be in the centre of the brood nest.
 
Some leave the queen in for 24 hours, but I usually put her in at 8pm and
remove her next day at 8am. Of course if she has not laid in the removable
cups leave her in for another 12 hours. Queens will tend to lay in all the
cells surrounding the removable ones first.
 
Releasing the queen is done by removing the front cover, but this must be
replaced. This is to ensure the queen will not go in and lay up any vacant
cells.
You now have eggs which are of known age to within 12 hours, so you know
that they will be tiny larvae on the morning of the 3rd day.
 
You will have made preparations to have colonies ready to receive the
larval transfers (queenless strong colonies bursting with bees).
 
The transfer is quite easy and I do this in my car which I get warmed up
beforehand.
The back cover is removed from the box, and the cells removed one at a
time. Cell tops are clicked on to the bases to form a complete cell, these
are then pushed into yellow cup holders, which in turn are inserted into
the holes of a metal bar which has previously been mounted in an empty
frame (no comb or foundation). Each of these bars hold 10 cells and two
bars can be mounted in a frame. This is the number (20) I give to a strong
queenlees colony to get them started. Obviously you can repeat this several
times if you are raising a lot of queens.
I use colonies on double brood boxes for getting the cells started. This is
done by rearranging the brood frames so that the top box has sealed brood
only, plus stores of honey and frames of pollen. A gap is left in the
centre of the box to receive the frame of transferred larvae. The frames on
either side comprise of one with pollen and one with open stores. The queen
is in the bottom box , the queen excluder being on top of this box. A few
hours before transfer of larvae takes place the box with the queen in it is
moved to a new site in the apiary and any supers are moved with it. The top
box is now on a new floor board, a cover and roof being fitted. The flying
bees from the box that has been moved away will return to the box that is
ready to receive the transfers. The next day the whole unit can be restored
by bringing back the box with the queen in, placing it on the floorboard
with any supers on top, and the box with the transfers in placed on top.
The cells which will be well started will now continue to be raised as
queen cells.
 
You will find the larvae are very tiny using this system, it fact if your
eyesight is not up to scratch you may think there is nothing in the cells.
A gleam of brood food gives the game away though.
 
The system gives very young larvae without the need to touch them with a
grafting tool. The queens will be large providing the nursing colonies are
strong, and have been well prepared.
 
Obviously the system is designed for use in breeding from the best colony
one has. The colonies selected to nurse the transferred larvae can be any
quality.
 
 
 
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