[Terri]

In the local beekeeping newsletter, I often see sheets of brood advertized at $9 a sheet. I was wondering how they were transported safely. Do they have to be kept at a constant temperature, and be protected from drying out?

This spring I was considering raising some queen cells in my backyard hive to make splits with later, and that would mean transporting the queen cells to my bee yard 20 minutes away. It would be a shame to go to that trouble only to have the queen cells get damaged.

Thanks!

 

[The Honey House]

Teri,
See http://www.carricell.com/Carricell.html

 

[Michael Bush]

>In the local beekeeping newsletter, I often see sheets of brood advertized at $9 a sheet. I was wondering how they were transported safely. Do they have to be kept at a constant temperature, and be protected from drying out?

This is a frame of open brood? Capped brood? Empty brood comb? If it's open brood it will have to be kept pretty constant and kept from drying out and you would have to get it to your hive very quickly because they are in constant need of feeding.

A frame of capped brood on a hot day (90's) might be ok for an hour or so while you transported it, but as the temperature goes down from there the survivability of the brood will go down with it. I have seen room temperature capped brood emerging when it was in some honey comb, but I think it depends on how far along it was to start with.

>This spring I was considering raising some queen cells in my backyard hive to make splits with later, and that would mean transporting the queen cells to my bee yard 20 minutes away. It would be a shame to go to that trouble only to have the queen cells get damaged.

I'd build a two frame nuc and put a frame of brood with bees and the frame of queen cells in it and use the bees to take care of them. But if you have or want to build an incubator it could work too.

 

[n2dsky]

Hi MB,

How would you design the incubator described in your post. Any links to plans?

Thanks

Steve

 

[Michael Bush]

I wasn't describing an incuabtor. I was describing how to not need one. A frame of nurse bees on brood in with the queen cells will keep them while you're transporting them. Of course you have to not put them in the sun and make sure they are in the car at room temps with you. I'd just put them in a two frame nuc that is closed up with screen.

Here's another idea from James Burke. A Nursery cage. Unfortunately he doesn't seem to have a picture on his web site anymore. http://www.jarsa.net/ But it is just a solid block of wood with holes drilled in it for the queen cups to fit into and saw kerf cuts to allow the bees to feed the queens. The cavities in the board are where the queens stay. You can do a simplified one of these just using "hair curler" cages which allow the queen to emerge but not leave the cage. But if you transport the queen cells early enough you won't have a problem with them emerging.

And some people who sell incubators:

http://www.beemaid.com/BeeSupplies/QueenRearing.asp


A search of the archives shows the following discussions on Icubators:

http://www.beesource.com/ubb/Forum12/HTML/000031.html http://www.beesource.com/ubb/Forum5/HTML/000125.html http://www.beesource.com/ubb/Forum12/HTML/000079.html http://www.beesource.com/ubb/Forum5/HTML/000010.html http://www.beesource.com/ubb/Forum5/HTML/000092.html http://www.beesource.com/ubb/Forum5/HTML/000089.html http://www.beesource.com/ubb/Forum5/HTML/000085.html http://www.beesource.com/ubb/Forum5/HTML/000049.html http://www.beesource.com/ubb/Forum5/HTML/000016.html http://www.beesource.com/ubb/Forum5/HTML/000050.html

 

[Bob Russell]

Terri
In New Zealand I have transported, eggs up to 8 hours,grafted cells,2 day old cells and ripe queen cells.Eggs are from resistant breeders and have sent those in nucs and will have to double check but believe I sent the last lot of eggs on their own 7 hours by road.I am doing more trials in this area as I do not wish to send the queen as we can produce thousands of eggs from her knowing she is not going to get killed or fried in transport.(Been there done that).I do have a carricell incubator for ripe cells, but don't use that a lot.There are several methods for transporting ripe cells and the most simple for small lots is using a small chilly bin with a hotwater bottle (blood heat)in bottom.You need to make provision between the hotwater bottle and the cells to prevent damaging the cells from the water movement(improvise)You can punch out a block of foam similar to the one in the photo using a 5/8 automotive gaskit punch,(wood block could cause wing damage)Some use sawdust to pack the cells in.Commercial cell raisers here have thermal packages travelling the length of the country.Another method used here is to raise cells to two days old and transport the cell raiser round the sites and requeen as you go,no queenless period required,you know if the cell is viable and rim damage is no problem as the bees will repair that.You have the whole hive raising just one cell like the one in the photo which is from a hive done this way.Also gives an extra weeks brood break for varroa control.

http://tinyurl.com/3k589

 

[Terri]

In other words, I need to either transport the nuc or put things in an insulated box with a hot water bottle.

Thanks!

 

[Bob Russell]

Terri
The beekeeper who took the last frame of eggs called in this evening.The frame taken last time was wrapped in a damp bath towl and placed in a chilly bin.It was a 9 hour road trip home,the frame was placed in a hive over night and cells grafted the next morning with an excellent take.He said the balance of the frame reached maturity with no noticable loss.On a hot sunny day if using the caricell I cover that also with a damp towl to prevent overheating the cells,yes just transport the ripe cells in a nuc or use the hot water bottle in a chilly bin (insulated box) as in the previous post,just be sure it is not too hot and take the necessay steps to prevent damage to the cells.

 

[Beemaninsa]

Frames of brood I have bought in the past come with nurse bees, placed in a nuc or single deep and taken home. Most want a frame exchange. I have not heard of people selling beeless brood frames.

 

[Bob Russell]

Beemainiasa & all
If you look at my profile under recent posts or all posts for that fact you will notice a recent surge in my postings at the busiest time of our beekeeping year in New Zealand.The situation with varroa around the world is deteriating by the day.It is in the hands of the beekeepers to turn that situation around.If we sit on our hands nothing will change.I do not sell these frames of eggs,they are gifted to those that want to have resistant bees.It is a waste to give someone a frame with upto 6000 eggs and emerging larva.That is all about to change in the development of this work.There will be a number of queen breeders on this site,hopfully also working with or towards high honey producing varroa resistant bees.It is important to understand the basic principles as nutrician is a very important component of developing larva and queen bees and the care to prevent damage and mortality.