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Author Topic: Cutting and moving queen cells  (Read 5024 times)

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Offline yes2matt

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Cutting and moving queen cells
« on: March 04, 2018, 12:12:10 pm »
Here's my trouble:
> I don't raise queens "properly" yet, with grafting etc.  (Maybe this year)
> I do have colonies that I would prefer as the source of new queens.
> so I try to move queen cells from those colonies to nucs. Either emergency or swarm cells, whatever I can get.
> I have a hard time cutting them out, because usually they're surrounded by other brood cells and the wax is soft and I make a mess.
> then I have a hard time attaching them to a frame to put in the nuc.
> by the time I've messed up the cutting and messed up the attaching, I've either mashed the QC or mashed every other thing and may as well have just bought a queen.

Help! Got a good link for how to do this better? Or a video?  Especially the attaching is so hard for me to get right.

Imma try again to graft this summer...

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Offline Some Day

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Re: Cutting and moving queen cells
« Reply #1 on: March 04, 2018, 02:10:33 pm »
If you just want a new queen for the new nuc, just move the entire frame with the queen cell (s) to the new nuc.  The bees are pretty good at selecting the winner.  They have been doing it for many years. even before Brother Adam even wore diapers.
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Offline riverbee

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Re: Cutting and moving queen cells
« Reply #2 on: March 04, 2018, 09:31:05 pm »
what someday said!
i use swarm cells in the spring, for nucs, that's it. just transfer frames. good success, typically.  i don't cut and smish...... :D
i have grafted a time or two.......lol.
i don't use emergency cells.

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Offline Jen

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Re: Cutting and moving queen cells
« Reply #3 on: March 04, 2018, 10:01:04 pm »
Hi River, curious why you don't use emergency cell?
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Offline apisbees

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Re: Cutting and moving queen cells
« Reply #4 on: March 05, 2018, 04:50:23 am »
cut a larger area leaving a tab above to attach without damaging the queen cell. Use a tooth pick to pin the cell to a frame.

Emergency cells could be raised from larva that is to old. these queens get capped first, emerge first, and will kill the other queens in the cells leaving you with an inferior queen.
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Offline yes2matt

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Re: Cutting and moving queen cells
« Reply #5 on: March 05, 2018, 05:39:03 am »
Quote from: apisbees on March 05, 2018, 04:50:23 am
cut a larger area leaving a tab above to attach without damaging the queen cell. Use a tooth pick to pin the cell to a frame.

Emergency cells could be raised from larva that is to old. these queens get capped first, emerge first, and will kill the other queens in the cells leaving you with an inferior queen.
A toothpick.

Where is the ::kick myself:: emoticon? I tried wedging, tying w dental floss or grass, but a tiny stick or maybe even a longleaf pine needle...

I know about the other issues. :)

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Offline Bakersdozen

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Re: Cutting and moving queen cells
« Reply #6 on: March 05, 2018, 08:04:02 pm »
apis, I like the toothpick idea.  I have heard of others using a wee bit of melted beeswax to adhere to the cell to the comb.  Melted beeswax is a lot to juggle.   
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Offline riverbee

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Re: Cutting and moving queen cells
« Reply #7 on: March 06, 2018, 11:40:08 am »
jen, what keith said about emergency cells, usually inferior or poor queens.
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Offline yes2matt

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Re: Cutting and moving queen cells
« Reply #8 on: March 06, 2018, 02:51:12 pm »
Quote from: Bakersdozen on March 05, 2018, 08:04:02 pm
apis, I like the toothpick idea.  I have heard of others using a wee bit of melted beeswax to adhere to the cell to the comb.  Melted beeswax is a lot to juggle.
How would you even do that?

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Offline neillsayers

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Re: Cutting and moving queen cells
« Reply #9 on: March 06, 2018, 05:17:54 pm »
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Offline apisbees

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Re: Cutting and moving queen cells
« Reply #10 on: March 07, 2018, 06:37:01 pm »
Neil the problem with push in cell protector is a lot of times when you cut the cells out of the comb you end up with excess comb that needs to be trimmed off so they will fit it, during this trimming it can damage the queen cells. for cells that are grafted and raised on a bar they work better than any thing else.
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Offline neillsayers

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Re: Cutting and moving queen cells
« Reply #11 on: March 07, 2018, 08:15:09 pm »
Quote from: apisbees on March 07, 2018, 06:37:01 pm
Neil the problem with push in cell protector is a lot of times when you cut the cells out of the comb you end up with excess comb that needs to be trimmed off so they will fit it, during this trimming it can damage the queen cells. for cells that are grafted and raised on a bar they work better than any thing ease.

Makes sense-Thanks :)
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Offline treeman4646

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Re: Cutting and moving queen cells
« Reply #12 on: April 10, 2018, 01:50:18 pm »
Quote from: Some Day on March 04, 2018, 02:10:33 pm
If you just want a new queen for the new nuc, just move the entire frame with the queen cell (s) to the new nuc.  The bees are pretty good at selecting the winner.  They have been doing it for many years. even before Brother Adam even wore diapers.

I agree with Some Day. Although I'm just a newbee, I gotta say that that would be the easiest and simplest solution. I'm just in the process of making some nuc boxes just in case I want to do that.
"Brother Adam" Hehehe...
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