# Time to think about ordering mated queens



## Roland (Dec 14, 2008)

What are folks looking for in a queen this year? A live queen in 2017.

What are the most importaint traits? Rugged, tenacious foraging(poor weather, poor flow), gentle .

How much of a factor is price? N0one, Value is more important . A cheap poor queen is very expensive.

How many are going to attempt to rear a few queens at home this year? Yes.

Any preference to type? What is the flavor of the year? Anything as good as Strachen NWC

Have you ever considered using virgin queens or capped queen cells? If purchased,No, and never will.

How satisfied have you been with past purchases and what did you learn?
Depends. Strachen NWC- lost 1 in 200 or so. From Mr. "Zero", they cost me more than I paid for them.

Any other comments that may help folks this year?

Choose, and chose wisely.

Crazy Roland


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## WWW (Feb 6, 2011)

I raised a few queens in 5 frame nucs last year but thought I would like to raise 10 queens this year, I have built a swarm box for the starter colony and enough mating nucs for 10 queens. I like to be self sufficient, with the bee yard meeting all it's own needs. My goal is 10 more northern raised mutt queens.


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## wheeler88 (Mar 6, 2011)

It's that time of year again. Time to think about new queens for your various needs for 2014. 

What are folks looking for in a queen this year?
> gentle, good laying, one that you would want to graft from. 

What are the most important traits? What are your goals/product you are trying to produce?
> gentle. Would like to raise a few queens and gentle bees.

How much of a factor is price?
> some important, quality of queen is important…

How many are going to attempt to rear a few queens at home this year? 
> yes, another attempt after a failure last year (one queen was a day early)……

Any preference to type? What is the flavor of the year?
> good laying Italian, color don’t matter 

Have you ever considered using virgin queens or capped queen cells?
> No. But would try.

How satisfied have you been with past purchases and what did you learn?
> Not satisfied. Know where your queens come from….

Any other comments that may help folks this year?
> When you lose a queen that you bought even if you only paid $20 it’s a heartbreaker…


Matt


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## Fishman43 (Sep 26, 2011)

It's that time of year again. Time to think about new queens for your various needs for 2014. 

*It was that time again last fall to think about ordering from Strachan, and the first of January is time to contact MP...*

What are folks looking for in a queen this year? 

*Gentle, productive, frugal*

What are your goals/product you are trying to produce?

*More bees that produce more honey on my local flows*

How much of a factor is price? 

*Would pay more for quality queens ready to lay, not coming out of banks*

How many are going to attempt to rear a few queens at home this year? 

*You betcha*

Any preference to type? What is the flavor of the year?

*NWC from strachan, what ever comes out of MP's hives, and daughters from my 2013 favorites that survive this blasted cold winter*

Have you ever considered using virgin queens or capped queen cells?

*If local maybe, risk/reward isn't that great though*

How satisfied have you been with past purchases and what did you learn?

*Mixed bag. Learned to try a handfull for a year before ordering the lot.*


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## My-smokepole (Apr 14, 2008)

I have try to reach MP over a month ago. Between his filter for email and pm I still haven't heard from him. Yes I have emailed him in the past. I have 75 q coming from two different venders 25 from Johnny Thompson. 50 coming out of New York. As the season moves fourth I will get some more local ones 
David


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## Daniel Y (Sep 12, 2011)

It's that time of year again. Time to think about new queens for your various needs for 2014.

I realize you are talking about ordering queens. I don't order them so time for new queens is a bit premature at this point.

What are folks looking for in a queen this year?
Early build up to a strong population then dwindling down to approx 10 fraems of bees. while foraging on our late flows and producing overwinter stores.

What are the most importaint traits? What are your goals/product you are trying to produce?

Variable blood lines while maintaining the basic desirable traits. production, survivors and disposition.

How much of a factor is price?
I do not consider the price of my queens. for now it must be huge since I am absorbing all the costs of getting set up. The cost to me is something I have to overcome in order to achieve my goal.
How many are going to attempt to rear a few queens at home this year?

Any preference to type? What is the flavor of the year?
Local mutts. and always has been. I am attempting to build variable blood lines above all else. IF I where to purchase queens I would have to do it in a manner something like purchasing 3 queens each from 50 different sources. I have not even considered attempting it. I have considered making hundreds of my own from say 150 or so blood lines. I think my way is a better deal.

Have you ever considered using virgin queens or capped queen cells?
All of my queens where capped cells or virgins at one time. Better question would I consider one that is not. I have have purchased one mated queen never a virgin or a queen cell. That queen came with the only bees I have ever purchased which was my original 5 frame nuc. Otherwise all of my hives have either been captured locally with mated or virgin queens (12) or produced in my apiary (10) Via grafting of larva and producing nucs from mating nucs.

How satisfied have you been with past purchases and what did you learn?
I have only purchased one nuc and that colony has done well. it was my number one colony up to mid summer last year when one other swarm I captured surpassed it. That swarm as yet to out produce it so it still holds the title as most productive colony I own.


Any other comments that may help folks this year?

Learn to ask the bees about how to keep bees. They are the only ones that are any good at it.


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## bsharp (Feb 5, 2013)

I'm looking for the usual traits I suppose, tight brood pattern, reduced laying in a dearth, pest/disease resistance, etc. Price is a small factor, but I will pay more for proven queens from proven breeders...I plan to get half of mine from a local fellow that I bought from last year and the other half from a VSH breeder in my state. I don't plan to have 100% VSH daughter queens in my yards because I believe that ultimately locally adapted stock is better, but I would like to get VSH genetics mixed in with my other hives, which brings me to queen rearing!

I'm wanting to grow my hives this summer and overwinter nucs for next year, and I'm going to give queen rearing a shot for the first time. Ideally I'd make enough for my needs _and_ have some to sell to give a little boost to my honey income. I've got my eyes on some expensive toys for the end of the year so I'm hoping to offset that cost as much as possible (I want a chain uncapper, 30-frame extractor, and the 16 gallon bottling tank from Maxant...while I'd love to break even this year, I'm not getting my hopes up ).

I've only bought queens from my local guy and I've been very pleased with them.


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## Hambone (Mar 17, 2008)

Lauri said:


>


Where is this Queen from? I love the color.


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## merince (Jul 19, 2011)

It is a bit early for my neck of the woods. My apiaries are still inaccessible and buried under couple of feet of snow.

I don't plan on ordering this year. I am quite happy with the lines I've been maintaining for the last 5 years.

I am looking for proven producers that are acclimated to my region. The record cold this year, with several consecutive weeks of highs below 0F and reaching -10F or so occasionally is making sure only the tough survive.









This is a very blurry pic of one of my 2013 Fall queens


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## Lauri (Feb 1, 2012)

When I worked in an archery shop, Guys would come in with part of their bow string unraveled. Instead of just fixing it and charging them, I told them I wouldn't charge the m to fix it, If they would buy a small tool (Serving jig for about $12.00) that I would _teach_ them how to fix their string so if that happened out in the field they could fix it themselves. I NEVER had one person buy the jig. They just wanted me to fix it and paid me $20.00. LOL. I never understood that. So I know many people here won't even consider rearing their own queens. What I contribute will be for those that want to try.

I'm going to wait for a few more replies for a day or so, then write a little something about raising a few of your own queens and the importance of choosing the best stock to start.

There is a LOT of information on the *queen rearing forum* many here on the general forum may have missed. Information I think is very beneficial to both the average hobbyist and more experienced beekeepers. I'd advise folks to read the forum to get aquainted with queen rearing techniques. I'll post some links to youtube videos that helped me.

Some may not be interested in doing it yourself. But if you have a local person available that rears queens, acquiring virgins and queens cells are another option. 
Early spring walk away nucs are something everyone should make. (If the genetics of the donor hive are worthy of reproducing)

I'm going to tell you exactly how to set up a colony that will accept direct release of a new virgin and how to use capped queen cells (If both are available in your local area) They are both an _under utilized resource_ in my opinion, and not hard to use. Here's a hint: _ It is all about the attitude_ of the receiving nuc or colony. 
I've raised several hundred queens, yet only been beekeeping since 2011. I learned everything I know from Beesource and youtube videos. I want to give folks the confidence to try it themselves.
After buying mail order queens (From several different companies) , then raising my own, I was _shocked_ at the difference in quality. You'll not only get a lot of pride from your efforts, but you will be much closer to becoming self-sustaining. Having the ability to produce your own queens gives you extreme versatility. And if you start off with great stock from your own overwintered hives, you'll have a good idea of the traits the new daughters will display.



For those of you that *want* to buy queens, hopefully some good contact info and feedback on this thread will help you find what you are looking for the 2014 season.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i50Yf8vVGWY


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## Lauri (Feb 1, 2012)

Hambone said:


> Where is this Queen from? I love the color.


This queen is one of the many daughters I raised from a local swarm I collected in the remote areas of Mt. Rainier in 2011. I favor the darks. The do very well in my Northern Western Wa. state. I'm about 3 hours from the Canadian border.


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## Hambone (Mar 17, 2008)

That's awesome Lauri. This is a of one of my queens I caught in a late summer swarm last year. Only cool color queen I've ever caught. They have made it through winter so far. Very small winter cluster too. I am interested to see how they do in spring. They have been very calm bees.


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## Kamon A. Reynolds (Apr 15, 2012)

Queens that are productive for 2 seasons. And no queens that are laying non stop during a dearth like most Italians do.

That's why I raise my own because that way I know I can get what I want in a queen.


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## Fishman43 (Sep 26, 2011)

Lauri said:


> Early spring walk away nucs are something everyone should make. (If the genetics of the donor hive are worthy of reproducing)


Not to hijack the thread, but I thought Buddy Marterre's point of walk "BACK" nucs in the Feb. issue of Bee Culture was a good one.

Now back to the topic as I look forward to your updates


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## Lauri (Feb 1, 2012)

Even if you don't want to rear you own queens, buy learning more about how they are raised and the importance of a good program by the breeder, you will make better choices when making your purchases. 

Genetics for quick build up for high volumes of bees for pollination, genetics for good honey production, genetics for all around gentle behavior and overwintering hardiness, genetics for mite tolerance/resistance. You should determine what you WANT from you hives. Choose queens from those that breed for success in those areas. 

The difference between queens is a broad as the difference between:

Local Overwintered nucs
VS
Local spring nucs
VS 
Spring nucs assembled after pollination services
VS
Packages
VS 
Collected Swarms

They are all technically BEES, but very different with regards to management needs, feeding needs, and expected performance. 

Capped cells, virgin queens, mated queens, the best genetics for your local climate and your Specific production goals. Choosing the RIGHT queen for your needs will give you better results. 

All queens and bees are not created equal.

Kind of like these photos, all three technically tomatoes, but different genetics make a big difference.




























Smells like spring, doesn't it?


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## Barry (Dec 28, 1999)

Sure, but you can't base that on visual. Just because one is bigger than the other doesn't mean it's better. Just different.
Besides, we've already discussed the trick photography used here!


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## merince (Jul 19, 2011)

Lauri:

Wasn't one of the pictures a winter/greenhouse tomato and the other a summer tomato? I vaguely remember seeing this particular pic combo on a thread about timing/giving the bees proper resources at the proper time?

Edited: Found it - it was on the "Split like crazy" thread here: http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?291085-Split-like-crazy&p=1024452#post1024452


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## Lauri (Feb 1, 2012)

***


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## Lauri (Feb 1, 2012)

Barry said:


> Sure, but you can't base that on visual. Just because one is bigger than the other doesn't mean it's better. Just different.
> Besides, we've already discussed the trick photography used here!


No photo shop....LOL, what tricks are you referring to? 

This?










Or this?










A classic case of exhibiting 'fisherman' traits. (Those are my two sons) Is it Genetic or a case of environmental exposures?


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## Lauri (Feb 1, 2012)

merince said:


> Lauri:
> 
> Wasn't one of the pictures a winter/greenhouse tomato and the other a summer tomato? I vaguely remember seeing this particular pic combo on a thread about timing/giving the bees proper resources at the proper time?
> 
> Edited: Found it - it was on the "Split like crazy" thread here: http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?291085-Split-like-crazy&p=1024452#post1024452


Yup, you couldn't get that big beefsteak to grow and ripen in a *cool overcast climate*

Cherry tomatoes are great tasting and great for snacking, but they suck on a big hamburger


I put my money and my efforts where my mouth is. This is what I'm doing this year...I've not lost a single colony, even with below 0 wind chill temps. This is what I am trying to encourage YOU to try eventually. On a small scale to start of course.

http://www.beesource.com/forums/sho...n-overwintering-40-mating-nucs-on-mini-frames

If I had 200 premium queens overwintering right now, like Michale Palmer does, I would be looking like this:










But we're kind of jumping the gun here. Lets discuss purchasing queens and learnig to raise them before we get too deep into the overwintering stage.


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## merince (Jul 19, 2011)

Lol, scary to think of you as Smeagol, Lauri. 

I thought you were selling queens, not hoarding your "precious"


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## Lauri (Feb 1, 2012)

I'm a brunette and have good teeth, but have had that look in my eyes a time or two 

Hoarding has it's benefits. Some of those overwintered queens of mine will go into nucs for sale in early spring. Something that is almost impossible to produce in my climate. Some of those overwintered queens will be sold or eventually used as open mated Northern breeder queens. And if I work it right, one of these days I just might be able to keep a few of those $100. bills, instead of just sending them directly to Mann Lake.inch:

Since I only sell locally to this point, nothing I produce has any benefit to those clear across the country. I'm shipping queens this year on a _limited _basis. I'd advertise here on Beesource, but I don't want to get overwhelmed with orders. I am only taking names for a list. Until I am secure in my scheduling, etc I am being careful not to promise anything I cannot be sure I can produce in a timely mannor. When I am ready for large scale production and shipping, I will let you know.

After 15 or 20 years of breeding livestock, It finally occured to me if I had spent a little more on better quality breeding stock when I started out, I would have saved myself years of work and thousands of $$.
So when I started out rearing queens I bought the best genetics I could find. Luckily I did, because Glenn Apiaries are now retired and no longer in business. Collected swarms from remote areas where no recent influence from domestic bees are likely, have been another fantastic resource.


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## David LaFerney (Jan 14, 2009)

Lauri said:


> What are the most important traits?


Alive, productive, reasonably gentle, low swarming.



Lauri said:


> What are your goals/product you are trying to produce?


Honey - 150-200 quarts.
Nucs - 25
New drawn comb - 150 medium frames



Lauri said:


> How much of a factor is price?


It's a factor - it has to be if you are trying to make a profit, which I am. But I am willing to pay a fair price for good value. So far though I have not seen a big difference between $12 queens - they rocked - and $35 queens - they rock too. Maybe I've been lucky. 



Lauri said:


> How many are going to attempt to rear a few queens at home this year?


I raise a few for my own use every year.



Lauri said:


> Any preference to type? What is the flavor of the year?


I like queens that produce a lot of brood as early as possible - so "Italian." 



Lauri said:


> Have you ever considered using virgin queens or capped queen cells?


I have used capped queen cells from a VSH breeder



Lauri said:


> How satisfied have you been with past purchases and what did you learn?


 Very satisfied. The main bad experiences I have had were for queens/bees delivered late or not at all. 



Lauri said:


> Any other comments that may help folks this year?


Make your own increase. If you are a beginner, don't flake out on your inspections. Do what you have to do to keep your bees healthy and alive - little else matters if you fail in that.


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## Barry (Dec 28, 1999)

Lauri said:


> No photo shop....LOL, what tricks are you referring to?


Notice how inferior the president's hive is. He must be into SC as well!


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## Lauri (Feb 1, 2012)

I want to see you on stilts working that hive! ..But ya, skip the kilt, that day.


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## wmsuber (Apr 4, 2011)

It's that time of year again. Time to think about new queens for your various needs for 2014. I stayed in a state of stress last year, I was not taking queens serious enough.

What are folks looking for in a queen this year? Gentle temperament with good brood laying

What are the most importaint traits? What are your goals/product you are trying to produce? Good brood laying, I can stand them if their feisty.

How much of a factor is price? Not applicable.

How many are going to attempt to rear a few queens at home this year? I will be raising all my queens, will try to offer a few for sale locally.

Any preference to type? What is the flavor of the year? I started with Italians 4 years back. I have not bought any since.

Have you ever considered using virgin queens or capped queen cells? Yes I have been considering this for the first time ever. Not likely to use any in 2014.
.
How satisfied have you been with past purchases and what did you learn? I actually bought 2 nucs from 2 different suppliers. Two queens from one provider were 
great and the colonies were calm, the other 2 were usually unpleasant to work.
Any other comments that may help folks this year? Learn and keep learning. Pay attention to the conversations on this site, great information.


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## WBVC (Apr 25, 2013)

Laurie...do you have documentation for queens crossing into Canada? I asked the Canadian Food Inspection Agency vet and he said it can be done but some type of paperwork has to be completed before export.

I am hoping to try raising a few Queens this year but it will be as a learning exercise. I would like to use locally raised Queens...and your environment is very similar to ours

I look to a Queen with a great brood pattern, that overwinters well with her colony and whose workers are great producers of honey beyond their own needs. If they can be easy to work with and don't go for the dogs and horses that is a bonus.

Cost is always a consideration...usually driven by supply and demand but certainly a great Queen from a reliable source is more important than a lesser expensive Queen of dubious quality.

I am new and on a steep learning curve but at this point in time that is what I look for.

I would be happy to come down and pick up mated Queens if paperwork was in place.


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## MikeTheBeekeeper (May 18, 2011)

I'm planning to make my own queens from my best survivor hive (3 winters TF now, and still looking strong) and some others that made it through the winter strong.

I'm just looking for strong, productive, resistant bees. Don't care much about gentleness (doesn't mean I want AHB though).

If that's not possible I'll probably order some from Hawaii along with another beekeeper. I got some last year and they were good queens.


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## Lauri (Feb 1, 2012)

wmsuber , I will look into the requirements for Canada. I have a few others there that also are wanting to get queens. I'll PM you. I did get your message, but I couldn't get beesource to load for me yesterday.


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

Importing into Canada queens from the USA is not a easy task. Lots of hoops to jump through, including DNA testing of bees. More here:
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/regulations/vs/iregs/animals/downloads/ca_hb_us_pc.pdf


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## Lauri (Feb 1, 2012)

Wow. That is all fine and good except for the cost of doing all that. Looks like Canada will have to wait. 
Thanks Graham, your a wealth of knowlege, as usual


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## wanderyr (Feb 11, 2012)

Lauri said:


>


Hi Lauri,

What is the comb in that photo? I haven't run across it before...

Thanks!
wanderyr


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## Lauri (Feb 1, 2012)

wanderyr said:


> Hi Lauri,
> 
> What is the comb in that photo? I haven't run across it before...
> 
> ...


Mann Lake Queen Rearing Kit grid
http://www.mannlakeltd.com/beekeeping-supplies/category/page58.html

I use both the grid and hand grafting methods

Photo below is my old set up in the kitchen when I first started:


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## wanderyr (Feb 11, 2012)

Lauri said:


> Mann Lake Queen Rearing Kit grid
> http://www.mannlakeltd.com/beekeeping-supplies/category/page58.html


Thanks!! I sure have been learning a lot from your posts over the last few weeks 

I recently moved to Portand, and left my bees in Reno. Depending on my housing situation, I may have to wait until next year to start again. But when I need queens, it seems like a good reason to drive up to Roy.

Take care,
wanderyr


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## Daniel Y (Sep 12, 2011)

Laurie, What do you think of that rearing kit? I am a bit skeptical when the description says 110 queens but the kit includes parts to make 10.

Some FYI. I am looking for a system that just about anyone can put in the hive and then be able to retrieve the larva when directed to. Also the ability to move the grafts or larva to the cell building frames with minimal training or skill would be helpful. not as much of an issue as I may be paying part time non skilled labor to retrieve frames for the hand full of skilled workers I have setting up cell builder frames.


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## Lauri (Feb 1, 2012)

That is a sample set up isn't it. You are basically just paying for the grid.

I actually wasn't real impressed with it at first, but after working with it a while, it is quite handy and works just like it was intended. _There is simply a learning curve_. The instructions Mann Lake use to give with it would set you up for complete failure in my opinion. 
When I started out rearing queens I read tons of stuff about people trying to raise queens without grafting. It seemed to me they use _far more effort_ to avoid grafting than to just learn to do it. 
Watch a few youtube videos and just sit down and graft. You will catch on quickly. Unless you are severely vision impaired or cannot use your hands well because of injury, shaking etc, You can graft. 
What folks don't realize is, when they have a failed batch of grafts, it is USUALLY the starter hive that is the problem, not the grafts themselves. But they focus on the grafts and never achieve success, because the graft was NOT the problem in the first place!
A high percentage of failure occurs when people fail to recognize the correct problem.This applies not only to queen rearing but beekeeping in general. 

When you use the grid with what appear to be perfect larva specemins & you own clumsy beginner grafts and see the success rate of them both getting drawn out by your starter is* exactly the same*, you know it is the attitude of the starter, not just the quality of the grafts...Starters need to be Very strong, hopelessly queenless, well fed, NO missed started queen cells.
My personal preference is a queenless starter/finisher as you see below. I will explain further in another thread..or later in this one if it is appropriate 










I can put three frames of started cells from the same breeder queen-all taken at the same time- in three different _queenright_ finisher hives above an excluder and get three totally different results as far as the quality of the finished cells. Managing your started and finisher colony (s) is far trickier than the grafting itself.

When using the grid, get yourself one of these to remove the cell filled cups:










I use a tiny soft flexible paint brush for grafting:










Use new soft comb easy larva removal. This is where the grid comes in handy. If the queen you want to graft from is living on older tough comb that is almost impossible to graft from, use the grid.:









Roller cages are very handy for a number of uses. Don't be afraid to buy 100 pack.










Here's how I have the grid mounted on a frame. Since the queen is never exposed to the outside of this frame, They fill the outside comb with feed which is handy for nurse bees to feed both the queen and hatching eggs.
Mann Lake says if you reuse the brown cell cups your success rate will be greatly reduced. I reuse my cell cups many times and _everyone_ is utilized. 










I also use the grid system components for my incubator set up. You can see the brown fixtures stapled to a base that hold the roller cages and hatching cells.










I'm heading out the door to get to work. I'll write more later.


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## David LaFerney (Jan 14, 2009)

I see you are using the roller cages with JZBZ cups too - didn't know that was an option. You are set up for them clearly, have you ever tried the California mini cages for that same purpose?

Why do you say it is so much harder to graft from old comb? I haven't really noticed that, apparently we are going about it differently. I have never tried a paint brush, maybe I should.


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## Saltybee (Feb 9, 2012)

Great larva photo. I would be looking at the 4th cell over from the upper left hand bee butt.( 3rd full row down) and the 2:00 cell above it.
Greatly curious about other votes.
6 over and 5 down the oldest I would take, there are many that would be easier.

Point about blaming the graft for the starter is one to remember.


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## WBVC (Apr 25, 2013)

Lauri said:


> Wow. That is all fine and good except for the cost of doing all that. Looks like Canada will have to wait.
> Thanks Graham, your a wealth of knowlege, as usual


Interesting...I do some animal testing for export...not bees...and asked the CFIA vet about getting bees from the USA. He said the apiary of origin had to be inspected and have export clearance.
I would have thought the requirements would set by the import country...Canada CFIA not the export country...that is how it works with horses.
Hopefully Laurie will contact the CFIA...I can give her a name and number if needs be..to see if her queens can be cleared.
I would be interested in importing her Queens


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## WBVC (Apr 25, 2013)

Rader Sidetrack said:


> Importing into Canada queens from the USA is not a easy task. Lots of hoops to jump through, including DNA testing of bees. More here:
> http://www.aphis.usda.gov/regulations/vs/iregs/animals/downloads/ca_hb_us_pc.pdf


T his is not an onerous list...it may seem so initially but when broken down is not.
A certified inspector has to inspect the hives. From other threads it seems it is not unusual, nor expensive, to have ones hives tested for the presence of disease (and to get advice on optimum husbandry practices).
The only tests seem to be PCR tests. I have had no need to have them run on honey bees but for mammals PCR testing is commonly done and for routine tests is not expensive.
For those raising quality Queens having their apiary cleared for export would, to me, seem to be simply the hassle and cost of doing business.


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## Lauri (Feb 1, 2012)

Thank you, I would like the name and contact info. WBVC. Please PM me if you have the time.
I will assume it will be a time consuming task, that may or may not be worth it in the end. I will look into it though. Take the opportunity to make some new contacts.

Look for possible exportation in 2015. I'm still busy with building equipment to accommodate my growth and servicing local folks.. When that is closer to completion I'll have the time to devote to shipping and exporting adventures  Along with some II dabbling too.

I do plan to take a trip up to Anchorage AK. this summer and can bring queens with me.. I was looking for a few experienced beekeepers to do an overwintering test, but there temps are warmer than the lower US this year..I'm thinking Minnesota overwintering tests would be better.


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## RonnieS (Sep 12, 2012)

Lauri, please don't stop here. I for one would love to hear more of how you rear queens.


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## Lauri (Feb 1, 2012)

RonnieS said:


> Lauri, please don't stop here. I for one would love to hear more of how you rear queens.


I will Ronnie, on those cold or rainy days when I can't work outside too long. It's Forcast to be below 0 temps again this week. Look for new posts then.


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## Daniel Y (Sep 12, 2011)

One minute is is snowing here. the next bees are flying. When it is this close to the line the bees like to land on me to stay warm. I get near the hives and you would think I had a static charge for bees.


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