[JimD]

Been gone out of town and fig that I would have problems when I got back.
One hive swarmed with one open QC with capped brood but no young.

Other hive had 6-7 capped QC on the same frame and lots of capped and larva in this hive.

Has anyone found a good way to get a viable QC off plastic foundation and attach it to another frame?

I did do a quick split but want to make two if I can get a QC off the frame.

Thanks, Jim

 

[jtgoral]

Following...

 

[jtgoral]

Razor blades seem to be flexible...

I've got but yet have to use:

Amazon.com

 

[Hoot Owl Lane Bees]

I have used a razor blade also. I have also heated the blade with my torch for lighting my smoker. Not to the melting hot just enough to cut the plastic a little easer.

 

[crofter]

There has been a number of posts here by people who have done it. Apparently some openings exposing a bit of royal jelly can be patched up with some fresh wax. I have pulled queen cells off the JZBZ bases to expose a near term queen and it can be pushed back on and sticks well enough to carry on till normal emergence. Learned this on one of Bob Binnies vidios at one of his queen producers.

 

[crab414]

Exacto knife and patience.

 

[RayMarler]

I score a square down to the foundation around the cell with my hive tool, then use the hive tool to scrape the cell off. Scrape from side to side, not from top to bottom or botton to top. Scrape it to the side and it'll kinda roll off as you scrape. If any openings in the back, just pinch them together with fingers. I never had an opening larger than a pin prick. Good luck to ya.

 

[JimD]

I score a square down to the foundation around the cell with my hive tool, then use the hive tool to scrape the cell off. Scrape from side to side, not from top to bottom or botton to top. Scrape it to the side and it'll kinda roll off as you scrape. If any openings in the back, just pinch them together with fingers. I never had an opening larger than a pin prick. Good luck to ya.

thanks

 

[RayMarler]

I've never done it with old dark comb, only on comb that had no more than a couple or maybe three rounds of brood done in it. It might not bee as easy on multi-year brood combs that are dark and hard, I dunno.

 

[HTB]

I use one of those retractable razor knives with the blade that's about 3/8" wide and a few inches long. It flexes so you can cut around a queen cell and flex the blade flat against the foundation and basically filet the cell off like you would a fish you wanted every last bit of meat from.

 

[Radar]

I use a scalpel and have a square of wax foundation to patch up the cell. Once the cell is capped the queen has no further use for the top of the cell and it can be repaired with out causing any damage to the virgin. I also have used this method to repair cells joined together but only if they are from a queen I intend to raise queens from and they beat me to it. If I have messed up so much that the queen has swarmed and that is the only way otherwise it is not worth the hassle

 

[AR1]

I have used a razor blade. Take your time and be gentle. Lost a few and got a few.

 

[JConnolly]

Leave the queen cells where they are and push needle pin cages into the plastic foundation over the cell. The queens will emerge but can’t get at each other. I have a set of these ones https://www.amazon.com/Ximimark-Beekeeping-Stainless-Catching-Equipment/dp/B07FL81B9D/ They work but the pins are longer than they need to be. These ones have shorter pins https://www.amazon.com/Fdit-Plastic-Beekeeping-Beekeeper-Equipment/dp/B085VJZKHH/ but I haven’t used those ones.

 

[Hoot Owl Lane Bees]

Neat idea JConnolly

 

[Gray Goose]

good Idea JC save them both, ess risk to the cells
let one go them move the other

GG

 

[JimD]

Well it worked easier than I thought. I used the razor knife to score around the QC then used the end of the hive tool to push up close to the Q cell then the cell raised up.
Note: I did put a file and sharper to get the end sharp on the tool then I took my torch and heated all the wax and crud and end and wiped the area slick where all the wax was.

Seemed to go pretty easily with the exception of how to stick the QC and wax to another frame
The QC did not stick so I moved over pushed the wax down in another area and pushed the QC wax down softly then took and scraped off some new wax on the frame and use this to stick the qc to the frame. The new wax did the job and did not put pressure on the QC. I have 5 QC's left so I did order the stick on queen cages just in case.

Like I said I may have a virgin queen that has not started to lay but if she had problems then here is a near to hatch QC. You can never have enough queens this time of year.

Thanks for the help. Jim

 

[squarepeg]

cut out an inch or so of extra comb around the queen cells if you can and use that wax to stick it onto the new frame.

 

[nailbender0259]

You can always use the Patterson trick, use a piece of aluminum foil, cut a piece about 4" square fold in half and then in half again cut one of the corners a small piece. place the queen cell with the capped end down into the hole you cut and gently pull the foil up over the cell and twist the end closed. there should be enough of the foil to bend over and push into the comb.

 

[plantman]

If I'm going to remove from frame I use scapple blade.Ive used screen sink drains,you can get at dollar store.Ive also used what J C posted.

 

[SwaggyBee]

Leave the queen cells where they are and push needle pin cages into the plastic foundation over the cell. The queens will emerge but can’t get at each other. I have a set of these ones https://www.amazon.com/Ximimark-Beekeeping-Stainless-Catching-Equipment/dp/B07FL81B9D/ They work but the pins are longer than they need to be. These ones have shorter pins https://www.amazon.com/Fdit-Plastic-Beekeeping-Beekeeper-Equipment/dp/B085VJZKHH/ but I haven’t used those ones.

What are the next steps to place the newly emerged queen into her new colony?

thanks

bill