Your method?

[tecumseh]

a ralph snip...
I think I'm settled on grafting in wax cups. When capped transfer to 93 degree incubator. Then another round of grafts in the same cell builder. Then transfer to incubator when capped.

tecumseh....
well first off I would suggest that when you use wax cups these need to be polished ahead of grafting  (generally requires at least 2 days in a very populated hive).  failure to polish natural wax cup will almost insure you a 100% failure rate.

secondly if I understand what you above snip means ?? I would not expect too much success in the second round of grafts.  generally when folks reuse 'cell builders' they also use 'finishers' so there is not so much a time lag between grafts.... even then you generally expect 'the take' to be less on the second round of grafts.  in your method there will be very few young bees in the box when you do the second round of grafts.

[LazyBkpr]

I have several videos up on utube about queens and I think just cutting them out is about the best. for a few or a lot it works fine.
Don

   Don, you need to compile all your videos onto a DVD and sell it. I have watched a few of your vids, and they were well done.
  I do in fact use foundation-less frames for the benefits. One of which was watching you cut queen cells out.

   When you get that DVD done let us know here so I can order one!  Watching HOURS of the FatBeeMan in weather like this would be enjoyable!

[ralph]

well first off I would suggest that when you use wax cups these need to be polished ahead of grafting  (generally requires at least 2 days in a very populated hive).  failure to polish natural wax cup will almost insure you a 100% failure rate.

I do. See the little clip I took back in June at the bottom of the post...

It's hard to think to mention every single little tidbit in a post.

secondly if I understand what you above snip means ?? I would not expect too much success in the second round of grafts.  generally when folks reuse 'cell builders' they also use 'finishers' so there is not so much a time lag between grafts.... even then you generally expect 'the take' to be less on the second round of grafts.  in your method there will be very few young bees in the box when you do the second round of grafts.

You're only looking at using them for 10-12 days for building cells. The last round of worker brood will still be in the process of hatching by then.


When I've taken the queen and a frame or two to make another hive with them. What remains is let alone for five days. then every cell is torn down that they've started. So they have then what 6-7 day old larvae all the way up to emerging ages in the hive. Figure like 7 days a piece on each round of grafts to be safe. Those 6-7 day old worker larvae will be almost hatching when the last/second round of grafts are capped.

[tecumseh]

thanks for the clarification Ralph.

[tecumseh]

a snip...
I like your one about cutting cell strips and waxing them onto a bar.

tecumseh...
likely not the inventor of this process but certainly for myself the first person I read that described this method was Jay Smith in one of his little books.  He at least though that this method produced higher quality queens than any of the other methods he utilized.

[Zulu]

I've attached plans for a nuc style incubator in the DIY section.  With this, you can directly move the cell bar frame from the cell builder to the incubator.   I'll try to get some pics of my homebuilt arduino controller if anyone is interested in building one.

I would be interested , just started messing with arduino stuff

[LazyBkpr]

Put together a couple of bars with jzbz cups..   Not sure yet if I will try to graft into them or simply do cell punch;





   I have about 8 queens going into their third year. Depending on how well the VSH queens I have coming do, I may try to make a few replacements.  I have 8 cups on each bar atm but could squeeze ten in if needed.
   With my eyes and BEAT UP hands I have my doubts about grafting. Won't know for sure until I try it.