really cool, hopefully I get a couple queens

[pennstatepitt]

I just grafted my first batch of larvae, they are in the swarm box now. It was pretty cool, hopefully I did something right and get a couple to take. I have a couple questions. When I take the (hopefully) started cells out of the swarm box I can just put the bees right back into the finisher colony with them, is that right? I'm planning on finishing them in the same colony that I took them from.
Thanks a lot,
I learned today that my vision isn't as good as I thought it was, those little guys are hard to see.

[Michael Bush]

>When I take the (hopefully) started cells out of the swarm box I can just put the bees right back into the finisher colony with them, is that right?

Is that the colony they came from?

>I'm planning on finishing them in the same colony that I took them from.

Sure. They should only need to be in the starter for 24 to 48 hours. They will all still be familiar.

>I learned today that my vision isn't as good as I thought it was, those little guys are hard to see.

That's why I bought a Jenter box. smile.gif

[pennstatepitt]

If I wanted to distribute the bees to a colony other than the one that they came from, would I have to do anything special?

[Michael Bush]

If you're putting the swarm box bees back into a different hive you have the typical combine issues to deal with. You can do a newspaper combine or you can add enough confusion (like shake in a few more frames from a few other hives first).

[pennstatepitt]

7 took! Or 14, I can't remember which but this is really cool. I put them in the finisher with plans to keep them there until the 10th or 11th day when I will put them into nucs. Does this sound about right? Hopefully I didn't do anything wrong in the finisher, but if I did it still is an experience. I'm so excited, I have my graduation ceremony tonight and all I can think about is this. Thanks a lot for everything, this website is great, I have learned so much, once again thank you.

[Michael Bush]

I shoot for setting up the mating nucs on the 13th day and tranfering them to nucs on the 14th day. The cells are much tougher and the queens much less fragile on the 14th day. In hot weather I might push that back a day because they sometimes emerge early.