I think you waited to long. 14 days if from egg lay, you need to be moving them 10 days after graft, the graft is already a 3+ day old. If you grafted two weeks ago, that would be the 10th, so queens would be emerging on the 22nd.
Queen Rearing Woes...
My hope was to do 8 overwintered nucs following Michael Palmer's plan. Two week ago I grafted larvae into wax queen cups and put them into a starter hive that was queenless for 24 hours. Of the 17 larvae I grafted, they accepted 9 and I felt happy
Today I made up eight 2-frame mating nucs with another colony and was about to put the 14 day old queen cells in the mating nucs but when I pulled out the queen bar they had all been chewed out
The finishing hive was a strong colony and I was made sure to find the queen and ensure she was below the queen excluder and I put the queen cell-bar above the excluder. Do you think the queen was able to fit thru and chew out the cells? Will the worker bees chew out the queen cells in a queen-right colony? Any suggestions if I try this again?
Thanks
![Wood Bee Wood stain Plank Beehive]()
Today I made up eight 2-frame mating nucs with another colony and was about to put the 14 day old queen cells in the mating nucs but when I pulled out the queen bar they had all been chewed out The finishing hive was a strong colony and I was made sure to find the queen and ensure she was below the queen excluder and I put the queen cell-bar above the excluder. Do you think the queen was able to fit thru and chew out the cells? Will the worker bees chew out the queen cells in a queen-right colony? Any suggestions if I try this again?
Thanks
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You're right. I grafted on the 13th - so it would have been 11 days later. From the picture, do you think they were chewed out a while ago or recently? I thought perhaps because they were building comb around cells they had been chewed out a while ago.I think you waited to long. 14 days if from egg lay, you need to be moving them 10 days after graft, the graft is already a 3+ day old. If you grafted two weeks ago, that would be the 10th, so queens would be emerging on the 22nd.
It looks to me as if several emerged normally. I'd get back into the finisher and see if you can find some virgins running around.
I concur. Hole in the bottom of the cell is normal, the WHOLE side chewed out and bottom intact means it was disposed of. You've got a few virgins running around fighting things out, maybe even killing your queen!It looks to me as if several emerged normally. I'd get back into the finisher and see if you can find some virgins running around.
They say timing is everything........ And they are correct. Makes no difference whether its regarding your first kiss or discerning when its time to pull ripe cells out of a cell builder/ finisher. We pull them on 10 from graft and gently toss them in the incubator at 92.5. Without support bees emerging queens wonder aimlessly and will not chew out the neighbors. Cells go in hives and mating nucs on day 11. Hatch time depends on heat and age of larva when grafting. From the looks of it you did fine except when it comes to timing! Next time set your alarm for a few days earlier and you will be good to go.
Oh man... Well i guess it is fitting that I screwed up my first kiss too. So should I just try to find virgin queens running around and catch them, or just let them work it out?They say timing is everything........ And they are correct. Makes no difference whether its regarding your first kiss or discerning when its time to pull ripe cells out of a cell builder/ finisher. We pull them on 10 from graft and gently toss them in the incubator at 92.5. Without support bees emerging queens wonder aimlessly and will not chew out the neighbors. Cells go in hives and mating nucs on day 11. Hatch time depends on heat and age of larva when grafting. From the looks of it you did fine except when it comes to timing! Next time set your alarm for a few days earlier and you will be good to go.
sigh...
Next time.
Might be a little late to do all that searching etc at this point in time....... I'd think your time would more prudently spent just looking through a new pile of virgins to blow a kiss at in a few weeks
Get a grafting and try again as the practice will not be time a wasted when you look back in a year or three from now.
Get a grafting and try again as the practice will not be time a wasted when you look back in a year or three from now.
So should I just try to find virgin queens running around and catch them, or just let them work it out?
Absolutely - take a look. What, other than 30 minutes of your time, do you have to lose? You might be surprised on what you find.
In hot weather I always go a day earlier because the queens often emerge a day earlier...
Yep, timing is everything. I went in there a day late and the workers had chewed
out all the qcs. They are above a QE. Maybe to not put them on top of a QR hive the next
time. I believe that some of the workers from the QR hive attached these cells.
out all the qcs. They are above a QE. Maybe to not put them on top of a QR hive the next
time. I believe that some of the workers from the QR hive attached these cells.
I have also watched Mikes video, awesome, I was going to put cages over the cells after they were capped, however I didn't get my grafting right, I shall try a again.
I enter the date I graft and print this calendar out. No mistakes!
http://www.thebeeyard.org/queen-rearing-calendar/
If you grafted two weeks ago (July 10th), this calendar says you should have moved your queen cells to the nucs on the 21st.
http://www.thebeeyard.org/queen-rearing-calendar/
If you grafted two weeks ago (July 10th), this calendar says you should have moved your queen cells to the nucs on the 21st.
Papa thanks for the link.:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:I enter the date I graft and print this calendar out. No mistakes!
http://www.thebeeyard.org/queen-rearing-calendar/
If you grafted two weeks ago (July 10th), this calendar says you should have moved your queen cells to the nucs on the 21st.
1 - 14 of 14 Posts
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