So I have been following all the "grafting trouble" threads of late and have a question.
I fully agree that to get a good "take" with grafts/cut cells the most important thing is for the cell starter colony to be queenless and PACKED with bees. Makes sense to me.
I also have had great success with walk away splits, dealing the boxes of a hive L-R-L-R and letting the queenless box raise a queen on their own.
I used the OTS methed last year with fine results.
The question arises in my mind, is the need for packed bees in the cell starter because we are asking it to raise 20-50 grafts at a time? With the walk away split or the OTS they raise a few cells only. All done on the resources of a split down hive.
Are the "packed cell starter" queens superior?
Are the queens of a walk away split inferior?
capathome
I fully agree that to get a good "take" with grafts/cut cells the most important thing is for the cell starter colony to be queenless and PACKED with bees. Makes sense to me.
I also have had great success with walk away splits, dealing the boxes of a hive L-R-L-R and letting the queenless box raise a queen on their own.
I used the OTS methed last year with fine results.
The question arises in my mind, is the need for packed bees in the cell starter because we are asking it to raise 20-50 grafts at a time? With the walk away split or the OTS they raise a few cells only. All done on the resources of a split down hive.
Are the "packed cell starter" queens superior?
Are the queens of a walk away split inferior?
capathome