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I tried my hand at grafting queens last year with good results. This year I'm thinking about buying an II breeder to graft from. I'm looking to improve varroa resistance/tolerance by doing this. I...

well there is a strong milkweed flow on....

No. this is like a small wing that grows from the feet

I have seen, in several hives, workers with odd "growths" on their lower legs. They are tear drop shaped, very thin/membranous, yellow to orange, and about 2mm long. Some bees only have a couple...

Has anyone used a Texas Bee Supply "Super Suit"? I tried one on the other day and really liked the ventilated fabric, all the zippers were brass, velcro tabs on the wrists, and there's a zippered...

Don't let any wax moths get into one during the off season. Swiss cheesed feeders are hard to fix!

I used mine to hold a couple of spare queens last year. They will get strong quickly so you...

If only I was better set up to control the drone population. I grafted from really gentle queens in the hope that after they mate with a few of the local hot heads the daughters will still be ok. ...

Well my first shot at grafting went better than I thought. Now I have twelve cells to place on Sunday. I think I'll make some deep splits (to sell later) and a half dozen on the mini frames to...

Looking good AMK. The bees capped the cells I grafted Thursday yesterday. I was totally amazed to get 4 for 8 on the first bar and 8 for eight on the second bar. Now I have to come up with enough...

Did the bees cap your cells? I made my first grafts yesterday and was totally surprised at how many of them the bees are drawing out. I wish I knew how to post a picture....

Lots of them will fly back home. Keep your fingers crossed, if you have eggs in four days she found her way home, if you have queen cells she didn't!

I'm here wishing you luck AMK. I'm going to start setting up my cellbuilder this afternoon. We're finally getting some decent weather up here north of Dallas and in a week I'll give grafting my...

I had hoped to be making my first grafts about now but the weather hasn't been very cooperative. After the first week of Feb. I don't think they bees had five days of flying weather. Now we're...

I bet if you put the super on top with an empty deep between it and the rest of the brood they'll make queen cells in the top. I'd put the empty deep under the full one to avoid needing to shake...

I think there's probably two times as many ways to skin this cat as there are beekeepers. I have one hive in three mediums and hate it. Granted you don't have to look at all thirty frames to do an...

Thanks again all for the answers above. I've been keeping bees for 15 years but have never tried to purposely raise queens. I bought the double mini nuc a few years ago as a way to raise QC's if I...

Well that is a point, but the truth is I think the little frames are kind of cute, lol. I'll see which way I like better. My main worry is that the queens will be too aggressive

Thanks for the info Grozzie. The frames that go in a Mann Lake double mini are medium in depth. That's why I'm converting a medium super. I'll probably cut down frames (in length) since I have a...

I'm going to have a go at raising some of my own queens this year, probably using the Joseph Clemens method described below. This year I'm going to shoot for six cells a week. I have a Mann Lake...

Thanks for all the ideas. I always end up buying the 4# bags cause the sugar is much cheaper that way. That and the hassle of mixing and heating water always makes me dread feeding. I was hoping...

So I need to feed around thirty colonies. In the past I've used sugar made into heavy syrup, but that's a hassle to make in the amounts I want. Does anyone know a source for high fructose corn...

I forgot, persimmons are also a big nectar tree. They bloom the same time as milkweed

I kind of doubt planting nectar bearing plants solely for honey production is profitable, you'd be better $ ahead to plant bermuda and cut/sell hay or rent the pasture. That being said planting...

My understanding is this. Bees cap honey when the honey is dry and when the cell is FULL. Both requirements must be met. Of course you know the honey is dry if the cell is capped but what if it...

Has anyone used fingernail polish? I used it on four queens about six weeks ago and it seems to be holding up really well. Granted that isn't very long but I used some that was "fast drying" and...