# How do I cut a Queen cell off plastic foundation?



## rkereid (Dec 20, 2009)

In my experience the back of the cell where it is connected to the plastic foundation is usually open, and so that doesn't work. 

You can make a cage out of #8 or a little larger hardware cloth and place that over the cell with several attendants. Keep an eye on it and when the queen emerges put her in a mating nuc.


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## dmpower (Nov 7, 2010)

I tried to cut an old plastic foundation to divide up some honey among some new nucs. It was much more difficult than I thought it would be - what a mess. I would make a test run, especially since the qc is not to be disturbed.
Good luck!


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## missrose54 (May 13, 2011)

I agree with rkereid. Alternatively you can place the frame containing the Q-cell along with 2 frames of stores and 2 of capped brood and nurse bees in a nuc and that way you have your mating nuc set up already for when she emerges.


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## Topeka (Mar 23, 2011)

missrose54 said:


> I agree with rkereid. Alternatively you can place the frame containing the Q-cell along with 2 frames of stores and 2 of capped brood and nurse bees in a nuc and that way you have your mating nuc set up already for when she emerges.


My problem is I have 4 queen cells on one side of one frame "close together" I was trying to utilize all of them.


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## Topeka (Mar 23, 2011)

I tried my idea and ended up damaging one cell. The other three i put into an incubator.


I did an autopsy on the cell I damaged. The larva was moist but appeared dead.

Do the larva move at this stage??


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

I never cut them out of plastic. I just put the whole frame in the nuc, bees, brood, cell(s) and all with a frame of honey.


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## Mtn. Bee (Nov 10, 2009)

I do the same as Mr. Bush and others, just move the whole frame or if there is Queen Cells on more than one frame each frame goes into a Nuc box with some frames of bees, brood, honey and pollen to start on new colony!
Best of Luck!


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## RayMarler (Jun 18, 2008)

Just this past Saturday, I cut cells off virgin drawn wax/plastic foundation in wood frame combs. Made up 2 nucs with 2 cells each, and left the frame with the original nuc that made them. Today on Thursday I have three new beautiful queens. I just used my hive tool and gently scraped them off the plastic foundation. I did choose the easiest looking cells to scrape off, the ones on edges of brood areas so they were easy to slip tool under and slice them off.


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## Rick 1456 (Jun 22, 2010)

Thanks for posting, been wanting to ask the same. 
I ran into a situation the other day. I had a supercedure cell on pierco deep. Wanted to start a hive on all med foundation. (I have my reasons  This was well used pierco with brood "sacs" in it. I was able to gently and slowly with a sharp knife cut and pry the cell off. It was not open in the back as I feared. I kept everything level. It looked good. Very dark color. Hope it was close to emergence. Placed that on a med foundation and propped it up with comb wax. Checked it yesterday and the bees are "doding" over it. I am hopeful.
The plastic is tough even to cut or saw. Obviously, that action would result in loss of cell. IMO I was thinking of a hot stiff metal wire to cut/melt the whole cell section. Thoughts ?


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## RayMarler (Jun 18, 2008)

I've always got a hive tool in hand, I don't always have a hot wire and think the heat is not needed, from my little try at it, and your try sounds great too.


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## Rick 1456 (Jun 22, 2010)

I tried a wire heated with a torch. It was quit comical. The wire was wrapped around the torch tip for continuous heat. Set some stuff on fire. Then the wire bent and I set some other stuff on fire. Sooooo, it doesn't work. Fortunately, I tried this on a non inhabited frame. No bees were lost in this experiment. That peirco is tough. 
Guess the other way is best.


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