Queen Rearing & Breeding

Queen Rearing is Simple - Just Do It

Prepare Queenright Cell Raiser

• Build up a double brood box or use "Ben Harden System".
• Contact feed 1 to 1 syrup, and pollen frames from other hives.
• Gradually add extra capped brood from other hives.
• Super over QX as and when required.
• Colony is "ripe" for cell raising when adult drones present.
• Day before grafting confine queen in bottom box with QX.
• Rearrange frames in top broodbox as follows
• One frame of young brood and frame of pollen in centre.
• Leave space between them for cell-bar frame.
• One or two frames of unsealed honey on either side.
• Two frames of sealed stores on outside of broodbox.
• Fill in with sealed brood and stores of honey and pollen.
• Place prepared cell-bar in space overnight for familiarisation.

Grafting

• Select frame of young larvae from chosen breeder colony.
• Cover with damp towel to maintain humidity.
• Use magnifier e.g. jeweller's visor or two pairs of glasses.
• Use only very young larvae - less than one day old.
• The youngest larvae are found nearest to unhatched eggs.
• Cut back the side walls of cells with scalpel or sharp knife.
• Jenter cups or other plastic queen cups with holders are ideal.
• Some light source helps in identifying suitable larvae.
• Chinese grafting tool or artist's fine brush are suitable tools.
• Always lift the larva from the rear of curve with grafting tool.
• Use 18 to 22 cell cups on two cell - bars in a frame.
• Complete grafting and place cell bar in hive as quickly as possible.
• Check "take" after 24 hours and reduce to 15 best cells or less.
• Check brood combs in upper box after two more days for wild cells.
• Shake bees from combs and cut out these emergency cells if found.
• Cage cells or transfer to prepared nuclei on 10th day after grafting.

Mating Queens

• Ensure the presence of sufficient mature drones in breeder colonies.
• Drone comb or shallow frames are placed in the broodnest area.
• This is done in selected colonies in Autumn or early Spring.
• Make up nuclei with young bees on day before cell transfer.
• Bees for nucs are selected from supers or combs of young brood.
• Virgin queens can be introduced to bees in making up the nucs.
• Where cells are being introduced keep bees in shed previous night.
• After cell introduction keep in shed for further three days.
• Spray water through ventilators morning and evening.
• Baker's fondant in cut comb container is handy for first feeding.
• Replace this with sugar syrup 2 to 1 when placed in permanent site.
• Best to place in permanent position and open at dusk.
• Examine for presence of eggs after 2 to 3 weeks.
• Remove queen when laying and replace with another cell.
• Established nucs will not readily accept a virgin queen.
• Watch food reserve in nuclei and keep topped up always.

Queen Introduction

• A new laying queen should be available one week after dequeening.
• At that stage shake the bees off brood combs and kill emergency cells.
• Introduce the queen in queencage between two brood frames.
• A Butler or Worth cage is best but use travelling cage if necessary.
• Cage entrance is best plugged with stiff candy (icing sugar/honey).
• Check for eggs after six days, remove emergency cells if present.
• Always make sure hive is queenless before introducing a queen.
• Insert a "test frame" i.e. a frame of eggs and young larvae.
• Inspect this frame after 2 to 3 days for presence of emergency cells.
• If emergency cells are not raised a queen is probably present.

M. Mac Giolla Coda