Very good video on Grafting and Queens Rearing

[apisbees]

One of the best videos on queen rearing I have come across. He covers from making up the starter to grafting to using a finisher colony. Although I'm posting this video I would discourage any one from raising their own queen until they have built up a diversified gene pool in their apiary are keep bees in an area with a diversified gene pool.
http://youtu.be/XpDciR9-OVk

[LazyBkpr]

Thanks apis!!  I will check it out!

[blueblood]

Just watched the video.  That is a great.  I am nervous to try it.  Now, what would be the difference in the cells if I simply overcrowded a nuc to cause swarm cells?  Are swarm cells not recommended for raising a few cells to use in splits?

[LazyBkpr]

Make a good nuc and notch a few cells in it Blue. On wax or foundation-less so you can cut the queen cells out. No fussing with all the extras, unless you want a lot of queen cells, then your better off doing it the starter/finisher method.. your young and have good eyes, you will likely get along a lot bette than i do grafting.

[blueblood]

Thanks lazy, I will re-read this the thread on notching here to see what tips I can glean there.  For those future readers, here is the link: http://www.worldwidebeekeeping.com/forum/index.php/topic,1044.msg13943.html#msg13943

[Lburou]

Just watched the video.  That is a great.  I am nervous to try it.  Now, what would be the difference in the cells if I simply overcrowded a nuc to cause swarm cells?  Are swarm cells not recommended for raising a few cells to use in splits?

As a practical matter, this is a good idea for just a few queens.  Simple and easy, just extract a NUC after the cells are ripe, and feed them (timing is critical though).  Swarm cells, where the best eggs are chosen by the bees to be queens, tend to produce the best nourished & best developed queens.  Better queens than most queen producers produce.  JMO 

P.S.  You need to harvest the cells before the bees actually swarm.  Moving a queen cell within three days of its capping day can damage her wings and she won't be able to fly.  Too late and the queen flys with most of the bees.  If you can catch the hive just as the cells are started, you can remove the queen and harvest the cells when they ripen but before they hatch.

[LazyBkpr]

 If you can catch the hive just as the cells are started, you can remove the queen and harvest the cells when they ripen but before they hatch.

   Good catch Lee. That was my concern.  I have yet to find a specific ETS   Estimated time of swarm. Usually, they swarm three or four days before the queens emerge, sometimes as much as a week, and in a nuc I think the problem is compounded.   
   Like Lee said, if you can pay close attention and get the original queen out of the nuc shortly after the cells are started, it would be a viable plan.