View Full Version : When to check?
Chef Isaac
04-08-2006, 10:12 PM
I grafted on Saturday. The cells should be peanut like and capped over on Wed, right?
onlygoodSHBisdeadone
04-08-2006, 10:18 PM
yes, I'd give them till Thursday before checking.
tecumseh
04-09-2006, 07:52 AM
I usually give the cells a little peek (disturb as little as possible) at about day 2.
note:
I gently raise the starter frame just enough to take a quick glimpse at the cells.
Jon McFadden
04-09-2006, 08:45 AM
48 hours after grafting is the time to check. The cells that are being drawn should make it. This gives a good indication of how many queens you should be prepare to mate. It won't hurt to pull the frame all the way up for this examination.
The larvae are delicate and easily damaged by bumps.
Because bees are crowded when used for pollination, one trick used to prevent swarming is to thump the hives on the stand or whatever to kill larvae in queen cells that are being built.
I'm developing a time line on the Nicot system here:
http://nordykebeefarm.com/forum/forum_topics.asp?FID=6