Queen Rearing is Simple... Just a Few Bullet Points!

This listing was originally entitled... QUEEN REARING IS SIMPLE - JUST DO IT !
It was written by Micheál Mac Giolla Coda for inclusion in the Summer 2003 GBBG Newsletter.

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

Select a frame of young larvae from the chosen breeder colony.
Cover this frame with damp towel to maintain humidity.
Use a magnifier e.g. jeweler's visor or two pairs of spectacles.
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.
A 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 replace cell bar in the hive as quickly as possible.
Check "take" after 24 hours and reduce to 15 best cells or less.
Check the brood combs in upper box after two more days for wild cells.
Shake bees from these combs and cut out these emergency cells if found.
Cage cells or transfer to prepared nuclei on the 10th day after grafting.

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 the day before cell transfer.
Bees for nucs are selected from supers or combs of young brood.
Virgin queens can be introduced to bees while making up the nucs.
Where cells are being introduced keep bees in a shed the previous night.
After cell introduction keep the nucs in the shed for a further three days.
Spray water through the nuc box 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 on permanent site.
Best to place in their permanent position and open the nucs at dusk.
Examine for presence of eggs after two or three weeks.
Remove the new queen when laying and replace with another cell.
Established nucs will not readily accept a virgin queen.
Watch the food reserve in the nuclei and keep them topped up always.

A new laying queen should be available one week after dequeening.
At that stage shake the bees off brood combs and kill any emergency cells.
Introduce the queen in a queencage set 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 the presence of emergency cells.
If emergency cells are not raised, then a queen is probably present.

Queen Rearing is Simple...Just a Few Bullet Points!

Originated... 16 October 2003, Revised... 11 November 2003, Revised... 28 December 2004, Upgraded... 17 June 2005,

Queen Rearing is Simple...
Just a Few Bullet Points!