Hopkins method

[mark williams]

I just read the p.o.v,by Jerry Hayes on the Hopkins method & case method of raising queens.It makes it sound so easy.I am planing on trying to raise my on queens this year & was wondering if any of you out there has tried this method? mark

[clintonbemrose]

Yes I use the Hopkins Method of queen raising and have found it to raise consistantly great queens. The system is easier than any method I have tried to use so far.
Clint

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Clinton Bemrose
just South of Lansing Michigan

[mark williams]

clinton: Mr.Hayes stated on the Case method that you lay frame (spaced about 1 in )flat on top of starter hives frame.so the bees will pull the cells down,I think that is the diff- between the hopkins& Case method have you tried that, If so how did it work out,,? thank you Mark.

[clintonbemrose]

I always lay the frame down spacing about 1 inch above the other top bars and the last time I had 9 queen cells started
Clint

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Clinton Bemrose
just South of Lansing Michigan

[dcross]

How critical is it to use newly drawn comb for this?

[clintonbemrose]

I can't really say because I only use the newest combs that I have for this
Clint

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Clinton Bemrose
just South of Lansing Michigan

[fat/beeman]

hello Mark
there is a lot of ways to raise queens just jump in and try myself I like grafting.
but don't need any thing to raise queens.
you can just make a hive queen less then you will have all natural cells=as many as 50 so then you can just cut them out as you need them.=====no muss=no fuss simple and cheap
Don

[Hayseed]

"clinton: Mr.Hayes stated on the Case method that you lay frame (spaced about 1 in )flat on top of starter hives frame.so the bees will pull the cells down,I think that is the diff- between the hopkins& Case method have you tried that, If so how did it work out,,? thank you Mark. "

I've read these instructions on several posts but can't exactly picture how that is done. Does anyone have an image they can share or a url to visit that would show just how you suspend the starter frame over the brood nest while allowing enough space and closing the top, etc.

Thanx,
Dale

[RAlex]

I havent tried this method. I am very interested in trying it this year. I am thinking that perhaps when I make my splits using the half without a queen to try this process to get some offspring of my best queen.
I will move the original queen to a new location with half the colony.
Another option is trying this method with a
nuc box ? Ya might have to brush some extra bees into the box to make it crowded and I am thinking feed it some honey as well . I guess I wont know till I try it .
Rick Alexander

[Michael Bush]

If you make a shim (something the size of the box you intend to use) that is about 2 1/2" or so and you put that on and the box is big enough for a frame to lay on top, then you just need something to prop up the frame. This can be as simple as a couple of 1" by 3/4" strips on each side to hold up the frame or a 3/4" board with a cutout excatly the size and shape of a frame on it's side with a 1" spacer on each corner to land on the top bars and something to keep it from falling through, like a small nail in each corner.

Another option is just cut the results (after removing every other row) into strips and wax them (with an old paint brush and a can of melted wax) to a top bar of an empty frame. This would be Jay Smiths "better queens" method.

Another is just tear down the bottom sides of some of the cells spaced out enough that you can cut them out of the comb.

Another is the Miller methos where you cut a jagged bottom on the comb.

http://www.gobeekeeping.com/LL%20lesson_ten.htm

ALL of these work better with new comb because the comb will cut more easily when removing one cell at a time. If the comb is full of old cocoons the old comb will be tougher than the queen cell you are trying to remove which will make things more difficult. Wire also sometimes gets in the way. Newly drawn, unwired, all wax comb works the best for this.