Silly question ?

[greengumbo]

I seem to remember that worker brood can develop quicker than the 21 days usually quoted but can't find a source for this inkling.

Anyone seen this or have a link ?

[The Drone Ranger]

I seem to remember that worker brood can develop quicker than the 21 days usually quoted but can't find a source for this inkling.

Anyone seen this or have a link ?
In " A Practical Manual of Beekeeping" by David Cramp I'm pretty sure he says drones can emerge a day earlier or later
I remember thinking that was interesting as it might have an influence on varroa infestations

[Jon]

Queens can certainly emerge a day early or up to two days late.
Is there some claim that small cell bees emerge at 20 days rather than 21?

[wee willy]

Not usually early?
The theory behind the African bee superseding the Italian bee in the USA is the fact that the African queen is an imago at 15 rather then 16 days from egg!
WW


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[The Drone Ranger]

I'm getting worried now I am moving queen cells tomorrow which are due to emerge Monday :)

[Jon]

I had 4 out of a batch of 13 emerge a day early in the rollers this week
Get up early!

[The Drone Ranger]

Thanks Jon

I'm up waiting for a gap in the weather and as soon as I can they will be moved

I was going to use another hive above a snelgrove as a cell raiser
I had a look in yesterday because I thought there was a queen cell there which was going to be moved elsewhere first
First frame out a frame of stores ,there she was, a lovely black beauty
I could have took her out but instead popped the frame gently back, fingers crossed, she looked too good to mess with
Just stuck a margarine lid under the open entrance :)

[gavin]

One very clear advantage of grafting over Snelgrove or simply using natural cells, as I've been doing so far this year, is the predictability of hatching (within a day or so). Another is the regular shape of the cell and the ability to get a roller cage over the ripe cell, and the ease of installing in an Apidea if that is what you want to do.

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[fatshark]

I agree that caging them is a real advantage ... getting to the cell raiser early enough so the cell is capped but they've not yet built brace comb everywhere is the tricky bit. I really don't like squeezing a heavily structured cell into a cage in the first day or two after capping as the pupae is very susceptible to damage then. In my first round of grafting this season I missed the lot! I sometimes wish those Nicot (?) cages were tapered with the wide end at the top ...

[Black Comb]

Any ideas for caging cells when using the Hopkins board?

[gavin]

One very clear advantage of grafting over Snelgrove ......

Unless of course you are cell punching and that kind of thing!

If the Hopkins method is laying a frame horizontally, then that could allow you to cut out reasonably shaped Q cells and maybe push cages over cells if they're far enough apart.

The method of cutting a freshly laid frame of eggs some distance up from the base and opening every third cell a little more (destroying the intervening two) will give a nice line of queen cells in a cell raising colony. However they usually don't have the thick bases needed to get a roller cage in place. Dave Cushman seems to call this the Alley method, for those of you who love using surnames with beekeeping methods (I don't!).

http://www.dave-cushman.net/bee/cellstarting.html

With any caging, or trimming of surplus comb, or manipulation of any kind - leave it until the cells are strengthened, 2 days before predicted hatching.

[The Drone Ranger]

Any ideas for caging cells when using the Hopkins board?
Black Comb
Can't you just push the roller cage into the wax round the cell ?
I think with Hopkins method you just keep an eye on the cells looking for the change to brown nearer the tip then cut them out
Is there a board for this method I would be interested in seeing how that is used

[The Drone Ranger]

Easy to see it's raining I am typing too slow to keep up :)

[Black Comb]

Thanks. We are trialling this at the association apiary and that is the conclusion we came to.
Someone took pics and I will post if I can get hold of some copies.
In the meantime this explains most of it (the old ideas are often good)
http://www.beesource.com/point-of-view/jerry-hayes/the-hopkins-method-of-queen-rearing/

We used the cartridge and flour method, so will await to see success.
More info. here
http://www.mdasplitter.com/docs/IMN%20BOOKLET.pdf

[The Drone Ranger]

Hi Black comb

That's great info I had never heard of the flour method
for Queen Introduction I have used push in cages made from the epoxy coated mesh for varroa floors travel screens etc

I think a small version would work well as queen cage to contain emerging virgins

[Black Comb]

12 bore cartridges were a bit large. Perhaps 410next time.
Flour is to kill the larvae you don't want.

[The Drone Ranger]

A ball bearing was the other suggestion
How about baking beans they are used for blind baking pastry cases