Hi Dave,

> I reckon a great deal of the problems that people perceive about grafting, is the ability to see the larvae distinctly, which is a factor mentioned by many. Human eyesight, properly corrected with spectacles if needed, is quite capable of seeing the larvae in enough sharp detail to do the job, so if you can't see eggs and larvae, you need to visit the optician or ensure that your optician is giving you 'full' correction.
>

Actually even though I do where glasses, I can see much better than most can with no glasses, and when I take my glasses off and place subjects about five inches from my eye balls I can read and see things in great detail being able to read fine print about 1/64th of an inch in size. I am for all intensive purposes legally blind without my glasses, extremely near sighted, but with super human near sightedness. c]:~)3 Choosing to not use the grafting method of queen rearing because of poor eye site is not why I make the personal choice to not use it. The reason I make this choice is fundamental to bee biology not human biology or invention. I can really care less what other beekeepers choose to use or why. It is my personal choice and I am sure others will make their own individual personal choices, which is the way it should be. I was merely explaining in the other post that I think that non-grafting, non-mechanical, and non-transferring of the larvae to me is best for me and my purposes of producing queens from larvae and leaving the choices of which age larvae to the bees who inherently know better than I what they prefer to do on their own. Also I am not predetermining what size queen cup they will use leaving it totally up to the bees to construct the size queen cup of their choosing after they tear the worker cell down to the larvae level at the bottom of the cell. They will tear the cell walls almost completely down to the bottom of the cell and work out a cup from there. This particular method is one that any beekeeper can use without using much more than a sharp knife, a wire or needle, and a way to attach the row of cells to a bar, everything else needed is basic to rearing queens like cell builder colony and a cell finisher colony, which in some cases are one in the same if a beekeeper chooses it to be. 

I am developing methods of beekeeping for myself to use in Alaska that anyone can use without to much equipment or investment using conventional equipment or labor. I wish for any type beekeeper up here to think they can do beekeeping even the neophyte. Really if I can do it then in reality anyone should be able to. I use the KISS method of queen rearing I presume and not the MITOM method. Really the technique is the Alley way with Huber influence and Smith's mindful refinements. c]:~)3

By the way Dave when I was searching for a cell protector to use that can be made of house hold material. I found it on your web site, I used metal foil, it worked great. I have photos of how it worked out. Again no need for a large investment and anyone can do it. Thanks for having your information for all to utilize on your web site, you are a blessing.

> I agree with Peter that priming cells with royal jelly is not worth the effort,
>

Peter thought the opposite, it was Jay that knows it is not worth the effort from careful observations.


 . ..   Keith Malone, Chugiak, Alaska USA

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