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>I would like to know the way to raise queens for a hobby beekeeper.  Is
>there a good method that does not
>involve buying new equipment?
>Kathy Cox


Think about what is needed for bees to raise quality queen cells. Plenty of
nurse bees, a good pollen and nectar flow, larvae of the proper age, and
good genetics.

Nurse bees can be raised by adding combs of emerging bees. Flows, if
non-existant, can be imitated by feeding thin syrup, and adding a comb of
fresh pollen. Genetics can be selected for by using eggs/larvae from your
best colonies.

Larvae of the proper age...here's a trick.

Separate the brood boxes with a queen excluder. Queen and sealed brood go
in bottom box, unsealed brood goes in top box. Nine days later, check both
for started queen cells. Destroy any found. On morning tenth day, here's
what you have:

         Bottom box has queen. Brood has been hatching, and queen laying in
those combs. There should be several combs of unsealed larvae...being fed
by an abundance of nurse bees.
         Top box contains only sealed brood, and stores. No eggs here for
the last nine days.

Separate the colony. Use top box as cell builder. Shake five combs of nurse
bees into top box from bottom...don't take queen...you may want to shake
them through an excluder to be sure.
Remove bottom box/queen to new location.

         After noon, here's what you have...a queenless colony...full of
nurse bees...with no larvae to feed. They absolutely "freak." Running all
over trying to save the colony...flying about the yard looking for a
queen...totally distressed.

         What would happen if you gave this colony larvae of the proper age
to build queen cells? Yes, those motherless nurse bees would devote ALL
their energy to rearing a new mother.

How you give them those larvae needed depends on you. You can graft, or add
a comb of eggs/young larvae. The former takes a little practice, and a
little extra equipment, while the latter will have cells that have to be
dug out of the comb. I prefer to graft, as it really is the best method.

         I have seen the comb added on top of the frames, laying flat
(horizontal)...on shims to keep it up off the top bars. While the queen
cells must be dug out in about ten days, at least they are hanging straight
down. You could use a "new" freshly drawn comb with eggs/young larvae, and
the cells will be easier to remove. Or, you could use the Miller method to
obtain larvae of the proper age and position on a comb to be easily removed
when cells are ripe.

Hope this helps
Mike

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