What type of cell cups?

[Broke-T]

I plan to try and raise a few queens this year. I understand the basics but was wondering about which type cell cups to use. The pin type plastic seem to be quick and easy to set up. But do bees seem to use them OK?

Pre-moulded wax cups should be excepted really well but how do you attach them to the cell bars? But since a lot of wax is contaminated by chemicals are they OK?

any thoughts?

Johnny

[Bizzybee]

Personally I haven't seen much difference in acceptance. And I still use both.

Wax is fine, don't worry about the contamination. Make your own if it concerns you that much. Either make a mold or use a 5/16" dowel pin. Both work fine.

Attach the wax cups to the cell bars with melted wax.

[Michael Palmer]

The pin type plastic seem to be quick and easy to set up. But do bees seem to use them OK?

That's all I use. I have good acceptance, usually get 40+ cells from 45 grafts. Once in awhile, the number is lower, 35-40, but not because of the cups.

[IndianaHoney]

This past summer was my first successful attempts at queen rearing. Before that I had two problems that caused the bees to remove the larve. One was that I was leaving young larva and eggs in the hive, and two was the plastic queen cups. The solution to the plastic queen cups was to dip them in clean melted wax.

Almost forgot to add this. If you put the queen cups in the hive for a few days to get the smell of the hive on them, they would probably accept them without dipping them in wax.

[bee_wrangler]

I have found that giving the plastic cell cups on the cell builder frame for 2 days before you graft helped my acceptance of the larve rate also.

Dan