Ugh, how frustrating dumb bees

[Yankee11]

So I graft some really nice looking queen cells, wait until it's 2 to 3 days before they are supposed to hatch.

Make up some nucs, leave the nucs queenless for 24 hours. Put the queen cells in cell protectors and put the in the nucs.

Every one of them got turn up, from the bottoms, and each nuc has their own queen cells started. How is one supposed to get queens mated. That was a lot of  work for nothing,

[apisbees]

24 hr may have been to long the bees will know that they are queenless after an hr or less. split 2 brood boxes and after 20 minutes you can tell which half the queen is in by the actions and sound of the bees. I suspect they were already prepping and feeding the larva by the time the cells were introduced. Even if they start some cells if the introduces cells emerge they will do away with the cells.
Queen rearing can be extremely frustrating. So many things can go wrong along the process to produce each queen.

[Yankee11]

Thanks Apis, but it's what I want to learn to do. I learn something every time I do it. I'll keep at it. Just one of those days you have if you keep bees.

I even had one kill a virgin queen just because they they some cells started. Don't they understand a hatched queen is ahead of a queen cell

So, I should make up the nucs then by the time I get them home they will be ready for the cells?

[apisbees]

Especially when placing cells in protection cages so the bees can not tear them down thru the sides. The other option is to make sure that their is no viable eggs or brood in the frames. This could be done by placing frames with eggs and open larva above the queen excluder 6 or 7 days before making up the nucs leaving the capped brood down below with the queen. Making up nucs would be quick as you would not need to be looking for the queen 

[Ray4852]

Yankee

try using a cup of nurse bees instead of brood frames. Wait 3 hours before you put QC in.

[Yankee11]

I put these cells in protection cages. They tore them down from the bottom.. I think my problem was waiting 24 hrs.

I also loaded a 4 bay queen castle and did not wait 24hrs to put in the cells. I will see what they did with their cells.

[Bee Commander]

Your not alone Yankee, had the exact same thing happen on  a half dozen of Nucs I put together! These were great looking q-cells too. I've had better luck making Nucs and placing cells same day.

So I graft some really nice looking queen cells, wait until it's 2 to 3 days before they are supposed to hatch.

Make up some nucs, leave the nucs queenless for 24 hours. Put the queen cells in cell protectors and put the in the nucs.

Every one of them got turn up, from the bottoms, and each nuc has their own queen cells started. How is one supposed to get queens mated. That was a lot of  work for nothing,

[Dunkel]

I'm still borderline on the queen castle deal.  I make a three bay one and always got 2 of the three hatched and mated. Had my best luck between 3 and twelve hours on introduction in nucs, either queen or cell.  Still learning and fine tuning, but life has a way of not working around my schedule.

[LazyBkpr]

Make up your queen production hive or nuc and wait five days..  Open it up and tear out all the started queen cells. Wait a couple hours and put your starter cups in.  That way they have no larvae young enough, except those you gave them...

[Dunkel]

That's probably a good idea Lazy.  I have had that happen several times.  One of the reasons I have waited till school was out to raise another batch of queens, was dealing with the nucs.  I'd rather make them up that morning and place the cells in the afternoon. Hard to do sometimes, especially working for the man.

[Perry]

Try spending $40 on a queen, add her to a queenless nuc made up the day before, wait 4 days to discover she has been released, and also find a half dozen emergency queens cells on the go.

[Dunkel]

Ouch Perry.  I think I had the same kinda thing happen last year with ten queens.  Although I think I guillotined two myself with paper clips