>
>I need to ask for some advice from those of you out there who raise
>queens. I've been trying for four years now
>with very little success and it's driving me nuts.
>/Mats Andersson, Stockholm Sweden
I have a method of raising cells that you might try. I think it the best
way to raise some queen cells for the apiary.
Select a really strong colony. Separate the broodnest, placing
sealed brood in the bottom box...with queen...open brood in the top box.
Place an excluder between the two. Replace any supers on top. Nine days
later, check entire colony for queen cells. Destroy any that are found.
Place a feeder on colony.
Next day is grafting day.
In the morning, remove colony from stand. Replace bottom board on stand.
Place a super on bottom, and the top brood box on super. Remove two combs
from sides of top box, and spread combs apart in middle. Place a comb well
filled with pollen in the space. Shake six combs of young bees off open
brood from bottom box...into top box. Don't take the old queen! Place
another super on the top box, replace the feeder. Close up box with old
queen and move to another beeyard.
You have created a populous queenless colony...full of young bees...with
not one larvae to feed. They get frantic...as they are hoplessly queenless.
In the afternoon, give graft, placing the larvae next to the pollen frame.
Cover, and feed, feed, feed!
Five days later, bring back the old queen. Place her hive on the stand, an
excluder, and then the cell builder. On the tenth day after grafting, the
cells are ready to use.
I like this way, because no extra equipment is needed. No need to rob brood
from other colonies. The cell builder can be returned to production after
the cells are removed.
Try this method, Mats...and tell us how you did. I think you will like the
results. I place about 45 grafted cups per cell builder, and often get 40
or more nice cells.
Mike
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