Can I use a Chicken Egg incubator?

**Topeka** · 05-13-2011, 07:02 AM

Yesterday I checked a nuc that I received on 4/17/11. On the first frame I pulled out I found 5 large queen cells on one side. Could I cut out 4 of the cells and place them in an accurate egg incubator? Would they hatch as simply as a chicken egg?

**MichaBees** · 05-13-2011, 07:50 AM

I do, just make a custom cage so that your queen is confined and easy to handle once it emerges.

**Topeka** · 05-13-2011, 08:06 AM

Originally Posted by MichaBees

I do, just make a custom cage so that your queen is confined and easy to handle once it emerges.

I didn't think about that. Any simple queen cage plans?

**WV Bee Guy** · 05-13-2011, 09:17 AM

What temp. do you keep the incubator at?

**Topeka** · 05-13-2011, 09:43 AM

Originally Posted by WV Bee Guy

What temp. do you keep the incubator at?

Somebody said 93F

**MichaBees** · 05-13-2011, 10:53 AM

I just mix my cells with wherever I have at the moment. Temp is set to the specific eggs. The queen cell just develop no matter what temp is good for hatching eggs. The cage? Its just a little box made of discarded screen,leftovers from bottom screen construction.

**Joseph Clemens** · 05-13-2011, 11:42 AM

The cells need to remain oriented correctly (tip pointing down), it helps if the nurse bees can prepare the cells for emergence (they remove the wax at the tip a day or two before emergence), but the queens can emerge without that help. It also helps if there are nurse bees waiting to attend the newly emerged virgins immediately after emergence.