Laidlaw suggests using diluted royal jelly to prime queen cell cups for
grafting larvae.  Under the conditions I have of temperature and
humidity, it seems desirable to prime the cups but I don't have royal jelly.
 
Any suggestions?  I don't know what is isosmotic for the larvae.  With my
last graft I tried diluting some of the honey from the open cells at the
top of the bar I was using to graft from.  I'll see how those grafts were
accepted tomorrow.
 
Anyone tried saliva for priming the cups?  I've used saliva as a viscous
medium to mount termite gut protozoa for viewing with a microscope, but I
haven't tried it for other protozoa.  I suppose to get an answer with
respect to the bee larvae, I should "ask the larvae" but I thought I see
what others have done to prime cups for grafting.
 
Looks like a good poplar flow here at Canton, GA about 40 mi N of
Atlanta.  This is nice compared to last spring when, for the first time
in 15 years, there was NO poplar flow!  I'm running 25 "modified
Tanzanian Topbar Hives"...bees are happy...life is good.
 
Hope you have a good year.
 
Cordially yours,
 
Jim
 
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  |  James D. Satterfield        |  E-Mail: [log in to unmask]      |
  |  P.O. Box 2243                ------------------------------
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  |  S.E. United States        or  Canton, GA 30114, USA       |
  |  Telephone (404) 378-8917      Telephone (770) 479-4784    |
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