Cell Builder Hive

[Chef Isaac]

Whats the easiest way to create a cell builder hive?

[Antero]

The hive consist of one or two brood boxes, excluder, and a box on top. I move two frames with young larvae and pollen from the brood area up into the top box, making sure that the queen stays in the bottom. One frame is removed from the top box, leaving an empty space between the two brood frames. The brood frames in the top box will attract nurse bees and make them go up to feed larvae. Make sure there is plenty of pollen in the top box, because the nurse bees eat pollen to be able to produce royal jelly.

Terry

[Chef Isaac]

Can the box on top of the excludewr consistof frames of foundation? Can the set up be:

Foundation, foundation, foundation, honey, brood and larvea, space for the cell builder frame, brood and larvea, honey, foundation, foundation?

[Michael Bush]

A cell builder needs lots (read as many as possible) bees and I usually do them queenless.

[Hook]

I do mine queenless to. I even do them in a five frame nuc box, with a ton of bees. It all depends on how many queens you want to raise. I can raise 5-6 easily in a 5 frame nuc, without a queen for a day, and overflowing with young bees. Once capped, off to the incubator!

[Michael Bush]

>Can the box on top of the excludewr consistof frames of foundation?

I prefer just one box for the cell builder. Anything from one ten frame deep to one five frame mediums I've used. I like an eight or ten frame medium (because I run all mediums). I would not have any empty space. Mine are one box oveflowing with young bees that is set up with these frames:

Nectar- Brood- Brood- Pollen- Eggs- Cell Bar- Eggs- Pollen- Brood- Nectar.

If you want to replace one of the frames with a frame feeder you can do that. I shake an entire three or four box hive into the one box until the bees are piled up and spilling over. A lot of the older ones will go home anyway.

[BerkeyDavid]

Michael do you recommend open or sealed brood? I am curious about the egg frames too.

[Michael Bush]

The brood is usually capped and/or emerging, but sometimes has some open brood. The eggs are to draw the nurse bees to the vicinity of the queen cells. If there are only eggs on one side I put that side by the cells.

This organization of a cell builder did not originate with me. I took it from the Ohio Queen Breeders page.

[JOEL D PORTER]

Michael, that is the way i set up my cell builder hives also. I've found this to be a very good set up. Dwight

[bjerm2]

I use the same method and it has provided me with a large number of high quality queens. I then do what ever else, IA, open mate, etc.
Dan