need a queen

[Brandon Shaw]

Ok, Thought I'd run this by everyone to get some feedback.

I have one hive I want to requeen in September. I have all mediums and mating boxes for mediums that hold four frames. I plan on moving the Nuc more than two miles away.

How many queen cells should I graft into to ensure I have a good queen?

Can I get away with having the grafted larvae in the mating nuc the entire time until queen is fully developed?

How many days before new queen introduction should I find and kill the old queen?
Thanks,
brandon

[BULLSEYE BILL]

>How many days before new queen introduction should I find and kill the old queen?

The only question that I think I have an answer to. Twelve to twentyfour hours.

[ikeepbees]

I generally agree with BB here, but recently I have been installing new queens at the same time as I kill or remove the old one due to time constraints. I just spray her and her cage with a little Honey B Healthy sugar syrup, and then spray the top bars of the hive so that everything smells the same. I have been having excellent results with this technique so something to consider. A caution: It is real easy to get a robbing episode started with this Honey B Healthy, so be careful and make sure you are working with strong hives. Using this stuff near the end of the day helps avoid robbing as well.

Not much experience on queen rearing so can't help you there.

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Rob Koss

[Hook]

You said: How many queen cells should I graft into to ensure I have a good queen?

Can I get away with having the grafted larvae in the mating nuc the entire time until queen is fully developed?

How many days before new queen introduction should I find and kill the old queen?
Thanks,
brandon

Reply: Well, how much grafting experience do you have? I can get about 50% to lay. I never said I was an expert! If you need one, graft 10. If they accept 5 or more, then you can pick the best looking cell.

Leaving them in a mating nuc will work, but it needs to have ALOT of young bees. You also should feed them before, during and after the process. I have done this with success in the past.



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Dale Richards
Dal-Col Apiaries
Drums, PA

[Brandon Shaw]

Thanks Dale! Just what I wanted to hear! This will actually be my first experience grafting on my own, I spent a day this summer learning all about grafting and queen rearing. I'm excited to try what I learned. I made the sticks for making the queen cups today, getting close...