Jenter System??

[mlewis48]

 I had a complete  Jenter System given to me as a gift. Have any of you tried this method ? Is iit worth the trouble of putting together? I plan on taking a course this Spring, when the OSU has one. This thing makes it sound easy but that never works at least with me. Any input on this would be great.
                                                Thanks,
                                                 Marc

[Michael Bush]

> I had a complete  Jenter System given to me as a gift. Have any of you tried this method ?

All the time.

> Is iit worth the trouble of putting together?

Yes.

> I plan on taking a course this Spring, when the OSU has one. This thing makes it sound easy but that never works at least with me. Any input on this would be great.

The tricky parts of any queen rearing system are getting the bees to do what you want.  The Jenter won't solve all of these but will simplify two of the tricky issues.

o  Getting larvae of a known age.  By confining the queen you know when the eggs were layed.

o  Transferring larvae.   The Jenter takes something that is a very eyesight and dexterity intensive process and makes it simple mechanics.

The basic principles of queen rearing remain the same.

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesqueenrearing.htm

[Robo]

I don't have a Jenter system, but do use the Nicot (same principle, just different pieces).  As a hobbyist/beginner, it is a great method for raising a few queens.  No need to hand graft, which is an art within itself.   The no graft systems work fine,  but there are some key steps that make it a "make or break" activity.

Here is how I use the Nicot -> http://robo.bushkillfarms.com/beekeeping/queen-rearing/

[Greywulff]

but there are some key steps that make it a "make or break" activity.

And they are? :-D :-D :-D

[Robo]

Full disclosure, It's all in there -> http://robo.bushkillfarms.com/beekeeping/queen-rearing/

[bassman1977]

How many queens can you get with one batch using the Jenter system?

[Robo]

I can't speak for the Jenter,  but the Nicot has around 120 cell cups.

[BenC]

The Jenter has 112 plugs.  Get the book (it's more like a collation of xerox pages) Practical Queen Rearing by Dublon from Brushy Mt.  Search here and beesource for "floor without a floor" and "cloak board", build or buy one.  You'll need cellbars and frames to fit the Jenter plugs or you can build a lid similar to the one on Dave Cushman's site:  http://www.dave-cushman.net/bee/altswarmboxlid.html

[bassman1977]

What point in the process do the hair roller cages go on?

I guess the starter hive can be any hive, just capture the queen, plop her into the Jenter box thing for a day then put her back with the population again, from what I understand.

Also, as far as the finisher hive goes, what is it's role?  Is this a smaller, queenless hive that will be taking care of queen cells until they emerge?  How many frames of bees does this consist of?  Will a nuc be good if using 1 of those modified frames that hold the plugs?  I guess when things are all said and done, if you use a nuc for the finisher hive, you can just queen it when finished making queens and you have a new colony.

[mlewis48]

 First, thanks to all of the replies. I can't wait for Spring to get here so I can try my luck with the system. Like I said before, I plan on attending a queen rearing class that O.S.U or the O.Q.R.A will have, when they come around. I want to learn the art of grafting but a gift  like that was nice to get.  The question  that I have is it hard to get the queen to lay in the plastic cups? I only want to raise enough to requeen some hives that need it and a few for some nucs for expansion of my yards.
                                 Thanks,
                                 Marc

[Michael Bush]

>What point in the process do the hair roller cages go on?

Usually never.  If you want to use them, their purpose is to keep an early queen from killing the rest or if you're going to be out of town when you should be putting them in the nucs.  You'll have much better luck if you get them in the mating nucs on day 14 from when the queen was confined (in normal weather or 13 in hot weather) and don't bother with the cages.

>I guess the starter hive can be any hive, just capture the queen, plop her into the Jenter box thing for a day then put her back with the population again, from what I understand.

That is not the starter hive.  That's the "donor" or "mother" hive.  You pick a hive where you like the qualities that the queen has (gentle, productive, healthy etc.) and confine the queen from that hive.  The starter is usually either a queenless hive or a "swarm box" which is a lot of bees shaken into a well ventilated nuc with a frame of honey a frame of pollen maybe another of each, a wet sponge in the bottom or some water sprayed on the frames of honey.  After two hours in the "swarm box" you graft and put in the queen cells.

>Also, as far as the finisher hive goes, what is it's role?

Once they have started the queen cells, you could move them to another hive and start another batch of queen cells with that starter.  Finishers are sometimes queenright.

>  Is this a smaller, queenless hive that will be taking care of queen cells until they emerge?

Usually it takes care of them until they are two days from emerging.  Then the cells are put into mating nucs to emerge.

>  How many frames of bees does this consist of?

How many queens do you want?  The main thing, as far as quality of queens, is the density of bees and availability of food.

>  Will a nuc be good if using 1 of those modified frames that hold the plugs?

Only if it's overflowing with bees.  And the less bees the more the finisher is likely to tear down some or all of the cells.

>  I guess when things are all said and done, if you use a nuc for the finisher hive, you can just queen it when finished making queens and you have a new colony.

I usually do, yes.

>The question that I have is it hard to get the queen to lay in the plastic cups?

Put the box in the hive several days before you plan to confine the queen.  Put it in the middle of the brood nest.  After you release the queen, leave it in the middle of the brood nest, preferably with open brood next to them so nurse bees will be available.

[Greywulff]

>Also, as far as the finisher hive goes, what is it's role?

Once they have started the queen cells, you could move them to another hive and start another batch of queen cells with that starter.  Finishers are sometimes queen right.

Q. If the Finisher is Queen right does she have to be excluded from the cells.

[Robo]

Q. If the Finisher is Queen right does she have to be excluded from the cells.

Yes

[bassman1977]

Mr. Bush, thanks for the explanations.

How many queens do you want?

15 maybe.  I just want to expand my colonies without paying $20 or more for the queens.  I would rather split out a whole bunch of nucs and put in queens that are ready to go and not wait for them to make a new one.  I would prefer them to be mated before putting them into the nucs.  Or does this really matter if they are mated or not, for what I want to do?

[Michael Bush]

>Q. If the Finisher is Queen right does she have to be excluded from the cells.

Not necessarily, but generally it's a good idea.  Virgins are the ones looking for cells to destroy.

[danno]

Robos printable calender makes the timing of all the steps easier. (for me at least)  The cloaking board also helps with all the steps happening in one colony.  (except possible the donor hive)  Rob really simplifies it all

[buzzbee]

My latest issue of Beeculture has a blue sky bee supply catalog tucked in. I see they have that system listed on page 19.