Jenter queen rearing kit

[magnet-man]

I just received my Jenter queen rearing kit today. In the past I have always used the punch method so it took some time to get acquainted with the Jenter system. I do have one question though. In the instructions it says to prepare the cell plugs by pushing them down into a piece wax to embed wax in the hole and on the face of the plug. If I do this I end up with a flat surface, with no nice little depression for the larva to settle in. How does everyone else handle preparing the cell plugs before putting them in the back of the comb box?

[Michael Bush]

Don't embed the wax. Try to just spin it a little to get some wax ON it not dig out a piece of wax IN it. I'd take a toothpick and clean out the ones you have the wax in now.

[Chef Isaac]

Magnetman:

While you are experamenting with the Jenter system, try the Ohio Queen Rearing Set up. Michael has the link to it. It works really well. I am working with a guy this year that does it somewhat the same way but there are some key differenaces.

Good luck!

[BerkeyDavid]

Here is the link:

http://www.ohioqueenbreeders.com/queen_rearing.htm

Chef Isaac, I assume one of your improvements is the floor without a floor instead of the inner cover and bottom board?

Do you agree to remove the "floor" separator after only 48 hours?

[Hutch]

Magnet-man. Where did you get your queen rearing kit? Every where that I have tried to order one, there is a 5 to 6 week back order.

[magnet-man]

Brushy Mountian

[WG Bee Farm]

Has anyone had any luck cleaning the plastics and reusing them on the Jenter cell cups.

[Antero]

WG Bee


http://www.dave-cushman.net/bee/cellplugbox.html


Terry

[Chef Isaac]

Hutch:

I will sell or trade you my queen rearing set.

[Chef Isaac]

BerkeyDavid:

I use the Morris Set Up. I will ask the guy who "created" it and see if I can publish his way of doing it. It is awesome.

[Michael Bush]

I quickly dipped my used cups in boiling water and (if you go too long they will warp and melt) and clean them up that way. They seem to accept them alright. They end up with a coat of wax on them from that.

I have also just wax dipped them, but they sometimes require a bit of work to get them the way I want them after that. I have to take a toothpick and clean out the indentation on the plug and I have to insert them plug in the cup and remove it and the excess wax it "cut" off when I inserted it to get them where they seem to work the way I want them to.

The bees accepted both the waxed and unwaxed pretty well.

>Do you agree to remove the "floor" separator after only 48 hours?

I did it once and didn't do it several other times until later. I didn't notice any difference, myself, but maybe it's better to remove it sooner.

Jay Smith's theory on why the bees don't make good queens with emergency cells isn't that they aren't fed well (per se) or that they are the wrong age. He believed that they didn't get as much feed because the bees couldn't easily tear down cells with cocoons in them and that the "floating" the larvae out with royal jelly and building the cell down the side just doesn't provide as much food to the larvae that they can access.

I'm not sure myself, but I have done cell starter/finishers that were queenless the whole time and gotten good queens. I've also done the queenless starter and queenright finisher and gotten good queens.