[roccman]

Hi - are there any good guidelines out there for making queens.

My GF bought me a queen making kit, but the instructions have no pictures and I am having a hard time following the text directions.

Thansk!!

 

[Charles]

Welcome to the forums roccman, Try this link:

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesqueenrearing.htm

Lots of info there. Dave Cushman has a good article here that's worth reading:

http://www.dave-cushman.net/bee/benhardenmethod.html

Good luck,let us know how it works out...

 

[CFF]

I start off by making wax cell cups, I soak this homemade cell maker in soapy water over night and dip the ends of the dowel rods into hot wax several times.

When the wax cools I remove the wax cell cups.

I lay out a set of frame bars and apply a thin layer of hot wax to the wood with a spoon; before the wax completely cools I position a cell cup on the bar. (sorry no pic)

After I've finished making the cell bars I take a frame of brood from the breeder hive with the proper age larva (4 days old)

The proper age larva are the smallest ones in the pic above, these are eggs that haven't hatched yet.

I use a grafting tool to lift a single larva from the brood frame and place it into a wax cup on my cell bar

After I've filled all the cells I place the cell bar frame into a queen-less hive that called a cell builder.

10 Days later I take the cell bar out of the hive, by now I should have a frame with capped queen cells.

I use my hive tool to gently remove the queen cells from the cell bar by cutting the wax base lose from the wood bar.

After I have the cells off the bar I divide them up and place two in each have that I'm re-queening or new hive that I'm starting

There are several steps to raising queens but there all pretty easy

 

[Charles]

Wow CFF, what a great post. This is going to help alot of people. Thanks for taking the time...

 

[CFF]

Thanks Charles; hope it helps

 

[Charles]

Wanted to Sticky this before I forget...

 

[Bcrazy]

To CFF

Great post re queen rearing.

I raise my own queens using the Jenter Kit, as its all very easy and easy to follow the instructions.

Good shots of how you proceeded.

Regards;

 

[drobbins]

that's a really nice explanation
thanks for taking the time

Dave

 

[Conchis]

Great post, with great pictures for those of us who need pictures to "get" it. Thanks

 

[larry tate]

CFF, Great post. What size dowel rods do you use? Also what is the easiest way to melt the wax? Thanks

 

[harmonyshoney]

I just wanted to say thank you. I will be going to a class at the U of MN to learn how to do what you just taught me in 10 minutes. And yours was free!! LOL Thank You so MUCH!!!! Great pics.

 

[trumpet01]

Do you prime the cups with royal jelly? Jim

 

[dogsoldier13]

does the wax used to make cell cups have to be bees wax or can it be parafin?

 

[garvis]

Great explanation/pics.
However I believe a 4 day old larva is too old.
I use 1-2 day because after the second day the diet changes.
Also you can buy cell cups if you dont want to go through the trouble of making your own.

 

[Iddee]

He says 4 days old, but he means on the 4th day. That will be a 1 day old larva. He's counting the days it is an egg.

 

[oldenglish]

Great post, I would be interested to know what size dowl you are using also does the soap residue in the cell cup give you any problems ?

 

[garvis]

He says 4 days old, but he means on the 4th day. That will be a 1 day old larva. He's counting the days it is an egg.

 

[scdw43]

Great pictures, good post

 

[G3farms]

Good site with a different way to make queens, sounds easy enough even for me.

www.mdasplitter.com/

Anybody ever seen this before?

G3

 

[Barry Tolson]

G3,
I just checked and have capped queen cells from this method. All "I" did was make one of my colonies queenless and broodless...selected a full frame of brood from another colony...identified larva of the correct age...cut the bottom of those particular cells down to the midrib...and placed that frame into the queenless colony. It worked. Those cells that I altered all had queen cells drawn from them.
Give it a try!
Barry