# Beeswax queen cell cups



## tecumseh (Apr 26, 2005)

protocol... now I don't know.

usually you either buy them or make'em up yourself. if you make'em up yourself then you fashion a stick (carve, whittle or sand the end till round) for dipping, wet the end of the stick (this keeps the the cup from permanently sticking to the stick) and dip several times until the cup is substantial (one or two dips and the cup will be incrediable fragile, so try 7 or 8 and see how that goes).

some folks use to add a bit of rosin to the wax mixture to make the wax a bit harder. doesn't take much... back when I did this sort of thing I would typically scrape a handful of clear rosin from injured (logging) pine trees and that was enought to make a small batch of wax plenty hard.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

Jay Smith's methods from Queen Rearing Simplified:

"DIPPING CELLS.

"CHAPTER V.

"Since I know more about the way I rear queens than I do about the way any one else does it. I wish to take the reader with me through the season, while I attempt to show in detail how I rear queens. Possibly, you have methods of your own that you prefer. I do not claim to have a monopoly on all the good things in queen-rearing, but will be content if you find some little feature which I use that you consider worthy of adoptions, and which may be of help to you.

"Let us start by dipping cells as this can be done in the winter. Wax is saved from the year previous. For this a solar wax extractor is an important item. During the summer months, many small pieces of comb are found that can be thrown into it. This makes the finest cell building wax. In the nuclei, bits of comb are built and when introducing queens, where a frame is taken out, the bees will construct more or less comb. All these can go into the wax extractor. From the wax extractor, the wax is placed in small molds, for use in dipping queen-cells. I have enough cell bars to last the season, so we always dip sufficient each winter to supply us through the entire summer.

"Our cell-dipping outfit contains twenty cell-forming sticks, which work through holes made in two pieces of heavy tin. Metal is much better than wood since the latter swells when wet and the forming sticks do not work freely through the holes. These pieces of tin are fourteen or fifteen inches long, fastened one and one-quarter inches apart to small blocks of wood, which are to serve as handles when dipping the bars into the trays. Each piece of metal is pierced with twenty holes, one-fourth inch apart, and seven-sixteenths inch in diameter. The holes are exactly opposite each other on the two bars, in order that the cell forming sticks may slip up and down through them easily.

"Two trays are used, one five by sixteen inches, the other two and one-half by fifteen inches. Water is placed in the larger forming a double boiler; while wax is placed in the inner tray and the whole set over the heat. The wax should be kept at the lowest temperature at which it will remain liquid. If it becomes too cool the cells will be lumpy; if too hot, they do not slip from the sticks. If one is not experienced, it is well, when the wax apparently reaches the proper temperature for successful dipping, to try dipping one stick, and, if the wax proves of satisfactory temperature, proceed to work.

"Our cell-dipping outfit contains twenty forming sticks.

"First, dip the ends of the forming sticks in cold water, then dip into the melted wax; again dip in the water and back into the wax for about four dippings, care being taken to have a firm thick base, with a thin even edge. By dipping the sticks in the wax and holding the bar up until a drop forms on the base of the cell, a thick base is procured. A thick bas is necessary, for in trimming off the cells with a knife the cells would be injured if too short. When completed, the cells should be about five-sixteenths of an inch across the mouth and one-half inch deep inside measurements.

"Cells of the proper size and shape.

"Many beekeepers make a mistake in believing that the most important feature for successful cell acceptance is the grafting of the larvae into the cells cups; but a far more important feature is that of making cells of the proper shape and size. The ideal cell would be as the bees build them, large inside, with a small mouth; but it is not possible, or at least practical for the beekeeper to make cells of this shape. Upon several occasions, I have given cells that had been accepted and slightly built out in the swarm box to a colony for finishing, when by accident it contained a virgin queen. Of course, the larvae and jelly were both quickly cleaned out. I have given one bar of such cells to a swarm box and two bars of our dipped cells. The bees seemed to concentrate all their efforts on the cells already worked on by the bees and neglected my dipped cells. The bees prefer to make the mouth of the cell just large enough for a worker bee to crawl into, and it is frequently noticed that sometimes in the workers haste to back out of a queen-cell when smoke is blown into the hive, it is caught and has to do considerable scrambling and kicking before it can get out. I find the best cell for practical purposes is one whose size is between that of the inside of a natural queen-cell at it's largest place and the mouth of the cell, this being five-sixteenths of an inch as given above. In our early experience, many of us, enthusiastic in rearing larger queens, sought to accomplish this by making larger cells; but being large at the mouth, the bees were loath to accept them, and it took considerable work on their part to build them over to the size they should be. When the bees get to work on the cells they mold them into the shape they want, regardless of the size and shape the beekeeper has made them. The smaller cells will give better acceptance than the larger ones; but do not for a moment imagine this cramps the larva and produces an inferior queen, for the bees enlarge the cell to suit their own fancy. For experimental purposes I have dipped queen-cells the size of a worker-cell, and excellent results were obtained. Cells larger than five-sixteenths of an inch are not accepted so readily as those of this size or smaller.

"Nothing but pure beeswax of good quality should be used. Upon one occasion, when everything was going finely, cells accepted and built out nicely, the bees in the swarm boxes began to balk until accepted less than twenty-five per cent of those given. I had all conditions right, as I supposed, the same as before-plenty of young bees, well fed. At length I noticed the wax of which we made the cells was not so white as some we had been using. I made up a new batch of cells from clear white wax, and as if by magic, all cells were again accepted and everything went on splendidly as before. Instead of heating the wax in a double boiler as we do now, this wax had been set directly over the flame and had become slightly scorched and darkened, so the bees would have none of it.

"After the cells have remained in water long enough to become slightly hardened, they are loosened by giving each a slight twist, but allowed to remain on the sticks. They are then placed on the cell bar, the frame being supported on blocks. A small round paint brush is dipped in hot wax, and the cell cups painted at the base where they come in contact with the cell bar. A kettle should be kept at hand for melting additional wax to add to that in the inner tray, in order that sufficient wax may be had to make the cells the necessary one-half inch in depth. If the wax in ether becomes dark-colored or impure it should be discarded, and an entire batch of new clear wax placed in the tray. However, the darker wax may be used to paint the bases of the cells to cause them to adhere to the bar.

"When the wax has become thoroughly cool, the frame is lifted off and all of the forming sticks come out of the cells easily. If properly done, the cells will remain on the bars even if subjected to considerable rough usage. When the cell bars are all finished they should be wrapped carefully in paper to be kept free from dust, since the bees will not accept dirty or dusty cells. If you have on hand the cardboard cartons in which foundation is shipped they make ideal containers for the cell bars.

"Suggestions in Making Cell Cups.

"Of course it is not advisable for the beginner to have a dipping outfit made as previously described. After mastering the grafting method, he may enlarge upon his equipment as he wishes. The beginner can either dip his cells one at a time and mount them or he can purchase ready-pressed cells from dealers in bee supplies. Either one will give perfect results. These cells may be mounted on bars as needed, thus eliminating the necessity of purchasing a large number of bars. The base of these cells may be dipped in hot wax and stuck on to the bar when needed. To avoid the necessity of getting the swarm box, he can also use the queenless and broodless method described in Chapter XIII. However, I believe it pays to use the swarm box, for one can, as a rule, get better results. In this way it is possible to experiment until one gets his hand in without putting much money into equipment, and as he progresses can add to the equipment to fit his requirements.

"If one has difficulty in making his cells, one at a time or collectively, he can use to advantage the ready-made pressed cells sold by all dealers. Where only a small number are required the beginner will probably do better to buy what few he uses. The making of dipped cells is a nice art, and unless they are made just right, the bees will reject them. "


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## Joseph Clemens (Feb 12, 2005)

Thanks MB, I guess I'm gonna be practicing my grafting, and also trying Italian Cordovan workers to populate mini mating nucs.


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