2 weeks ago I was shown how to set up a starter hive, make wax cell cups, cell bar and to graft, I did my first for myself today, shaken my starter hive and let sit for about 3 hours, then from the time I took my frame of larva out I grafted 30 cells and put in the starter hive took me 9 minutes and 17 seconds, I made my own grafting tool and it worked fine.... wish me luck, hope I didn't take to much time, Ill get faster, do yaw think they will take, one problem I had was trying to find the queen in a 2 deep hive, the frames I shaken I double checked and couldn't fine her, was just hoping I didn't shake her in the starter hive, after 3 hours the starter hive was humming load so I think I didn't shake the queen. what do yaw think?
I think you're hurrying too much. :)
9 minutes?! I spend that walking to the house to do it on my table.
had to time myself MB, they say I will get faster, didn't want any dried out brood or chilled brood because I dry grafted and it was only 70 degree's....
I don't even know how you can SEE those little worms in that mass of milky goo!
Good luck!
-- Kris
when is the best time to be able (time wise) to inspect and see if any of the grafts took? other words, when can I do my first inspection on the queen cells if any are there?
24 hours later they are either dried up or fed and the cells are being drawn out.
well, to a peak today to see if any took on my first try and looks 18 out of 30 took, might be 1 more or less because I just took a quick looks and count, they almost have the whole cells drawn out, shoot and I was hoping to get about 7 or 8 and now I have to build more equipment so I don't waste any queens cells, I didn't know they would draw out a cell this fast, this is the only the 3rd day since I grafted.... might be a start to a beautiful career.... now I hope I get that many capped.... what is the odd's of not all drawn out cell's making it to be capped?
I think I know where I might have messed up though, I have heard people say they fill the nuc starter hive with nurse bee's and I only shook about 6 full frames in the hive, It look like more than enough bee's but after a couple days, it might not have been enough, I know the forager bee's will return to the old hive but maybe I had enough and just some didn't take, I didn't roll any larva and the larva I grafted was in royal jelly already.
Ill post a pic in a few days as soon as they are capped........ I fell like a new daddy .... :D :wink:
oh, I want to Thank FatBeeMan for showing me how to do this, I grafted 10 cells at his place the other week and it was kinda cool that day and he was just teaching me, don't know if any of them cells took but this was the second time I grafted but first time for myself and I did it all alone. He must be a good teacher because I feel good with those results....
>I don't even know how you can SEE those little worms in that mass of milky goo!
That's why I bought a Jenter.
well checked on them today and I only had 12 capped off, guest being wishful made me have double vision, well 12 out of 30 for my first. dang wanted to set a record for a rook :wink:
here's my queen cells, only 11 showing, the 12th was to the left under my hand..... today 8 day since grafted, putting in nuc's this week end....
(http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid203/pe92eb55ddf71c114d91042ae3f4115cd/ef8e617a.jpg)
look at all them empty cell's, maybe one day ill get them all capped but im still feeling good about raising my own queens....
got 5 cells cut out today and put in nuc's got 6 more cells to put in nuc's as soon as I can get some frames and enough bee's to get them going, going to do the rest Sunday, suppose to rain all day tomorrow... just keeping yaw posted one my adventure ;)
I think a cold snap we had got most my queen cells, (I grafted on march 30) all 12 cells capped after 7 days that was last Monday or tuesday went out the following saturday and took out 5 cells and put in nuc's with nurse bee's but it was still kinda cool, rain and cold all day sunday, went out monday and 2 cells have done hatched and held the cells that weren't hatched up toward the sun and could only see 1 queen in the cells moving so I put that cell in a nuc. the other 4 cells I cut open and the queens were in the purple eye stage, guest they died then from cold, dont know? so Im not going to count the queens until I see them laying, they still have to survive there mating flight.... I'll graft me some more here soon now that the cold snaps might be gone......
When I have raised queens my results are not much better.
I have studied now queen rearing and if you want a lot queens (30) you must prepare your hive:
Strong hive
Brood off
Emerging frames in so hive is full of young bees
Pollen patty feeding
Good weather and food from fields, fresh pollen
OK, you may get 60 queens from hive but what then? And I need 20 queens during summer.
My style is now that when I meet first swarming hive, I change larvae in cells. I take small larvae from good queen. So I get about 10 queens. To get mating nucs is another job. You need a lot bee frames in them.