[JasonERD]

I wanted to try raising a few queens this year, so I bought a book on small scale queen rearing. The book says to remove the queen with a few frames of brood and wait a week to go in to the hive to make splits (or cull the cells down to two).

I thought it would be nice to have a chart of the queens progress, so I went and found one online, where you put in your graft date and it makes a chart for you. The chart lists several days as sensitive development phase, where you don't want to move the cells, and even to be extra careful when opening the top.

The problem that I see is that if I wait a week and make splits/cull cells, the one week mark is smack dab in the middle of the sensitive phase window. Unfortunately I have already been to the hive, so at this point I am wondering if anyone has any experience with just how sensitive the cells are during this time. I am very gentle anyway, but the frames were moved around, one was transferred to a nuc, and several were destroyed (on purpose, there were about 12 total).

Now I am wondering if I should have waited a few more days.

Another thing... The bees would be able to make cells over about a 5 day period or so, so no matter what there are cells of different stages if your not going to graft, is there a way to tell which ones are sensitive, and which ones can be moved?

Thank you

 

[beepro]

Nope, without the timing from grafting it is really hard to tell which one can be moved or is sensitive to move.
Grafting will let you time it out better.
Why in a hurry to move then in their sensitive development stage?
Maybe they are o.k. if you moved them gently.

 

[JasonERD]

Why in a hurry to move then in their sensitive development stage?
Maybe they are o.k. if you moved them gently.

Basically I was following the directions I found. I didn't realize there was an extra sensitive time period until I had already worked with them. Live and learn I guess.

The original queen is still laying happily in a NUC, so worse case the cells don't make it and I give them more eggs to try again.

Thank you for your response

 

[Michael Bush]

When I do this I wait 10 days, not 7 days...

 

[johng]

Wait 10 days post grafting. Your grafting day is the day you made your walk away split. If you use that queen calendar and put in the day you made the split as your grafting day you should be pretty close on the timing. A split will make cells normally within 12-24hrs after the split. I think your cells will be fine I have moved cells during the sensitive time period when I had to due to time constraints.

 

[JasonERD]

Thanks for the responses. I will wait longer next time