View Full Version : queen rearing preferences
hotrod6779
02-06-2010, 07:36 PM
Im what youd call a bee haver. Id like to be a beekeeper. I need info. Has anyone here ever started grafting on thier own and figured it out? Does anyone use any of these graft free systems and howd they work for you? Ill help anyone. Its what the good lord intended us to do. Ask anyone how they make there box joints "we have a class" itll cost you $50. Any question you ask ends you up in a blamed $50 class. Im gonna buy a $20 book and try to do it. If it costs me $20000 I dont care. You aint gettin my $50. Sorry of on a rant. Just wanna know who likes what and how tuff is grafting and if its worth it? Thanks Matt
maybe you should take a class...
vajerzy
02-06-2010, 07:52 PM
I don't graft- I use the Jenter system- and will try the Nicot system this year as well.
fish_stix
02-06-2010, 08:27 PM
Hotrod; one thing is sure, if you don't try, you'll never know! There's enough info on grafting on this site that you don't need a book to learn how to do it. I had to learn when I started beekeeping work because my employer had a fairly large royal jelly business and we grafted at least 3 days a week. BTW, I was in 10th grade at the time. My boss let me watch him graft a couple dozen larva, gave me some pointers, then handed me the needle and said "get to it!" It's not rocket science. You're only attempting to move a new larva from one cell to another; and guess what, there are thousands of larva to work with and you can kill a bunch of them and not hurt the donor hive. Try it with larger larva to start with, then "get to it!"
Michael Bush
02-07-2010, 04:17 AM
>Has anyone here ever started grafting on thier own and figured it out?
Yes.
> Does anyone use any of these graft free systems and howd they work for you?
I use the Jenter often. I also graft.
> Im gonna buy a $20 book and try to do it. If it costs me $20000 I dont care. You aint gettin my $50. Sorry of on a rant. Just wanna know who likes what and how tuff is grafting and if its worth it?
Here are several free books including my advice:
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesqueenrearing.htm
And several of these methods don't require grafting AND don't require buying a kit. The Miller, Better Queens, and Hopkins methods will cost you nothing and work well with no grafting. The Jay Smith and Doolittle books have a lot of detail on grafting. And these won't cost you $20 a piece.
michael-bees
02-07-2010, 06:47 AM
I graft with a homemade tool and never had instruction from anyone. Didnt do so good the first couple of times but then i got it. I also use my own wax cups molded around a shaped maple twig. I made a tool out of stainless welding rod.
Grant
02-14-2010, 05:10 PM
I don't graft and I don't care to. I use the Nicot system of "grafting" cell cups. I admire people who graft larvae. More power to you if you can do it, and my utmost respect if you are self-taught.
I think I'd skip the class. It's been said, "When the student is ready the teacher appears," and making a broad generalization that might be incorrect, I'm not sure you're ready to be a student. I don't mean to offend, but you sound like an independent, self-taught scholar. I think you've got the motivation to do it. You'll probably find more satisfaction teaching yourself.
If you want to see how I do the Nicot system, here's my free resource:
http://www.nicot.homestead.com
Grant
Jackson, MO