# Culling queen cells at day 4?



## Finman (Nov 5, 2004)

You may change larva from good hive to those elder combs. So you get good queens from every comb. Take so small larvae as you can. 3 days old is not good for queen rearing.

When you change the larvae on sunday queens will emerge on thursday.


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## NW IN Beekeeper (Jun 29, 2005)

Keep in mind that Finman's Thurday might still be your Wednesday if you're up late. 

There is no train involved in this equation. 

<thanking God for Mr. Henderson, the greatest high school math teacher one could ask for> 
How great is he?  
You're still asking us!!  

Waya, 
"don't worry maybe it will go better next year when you repeat it." 
Now do *I* sound like Mr. Henderson to you?  

Jeff


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## George Fergusson (May 19, 2005)

>There is no train involved in this equation.

And a good thing too. According to my calculations, said train would plow into the Atlantic ocean long before you had any capped queen cells on board, unless of course queen cells in motion develop faster than queen cells at rest?


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

George, are you trying to apply Einstien's Theory of Relativity to Queen Rearing? Only the queens are relatives.


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## George Fergusson (May 19, 2005)

>George, are you trying to apply Einstien's Theory of Relativity to Queen Rearing?

Well yes, but something just ain't right. Time should pass more slowly for queens in motion, from the perspective of a motionless observer.

But I digress. Applying higher mathematics to queen rearing is unnecessary, you can do all the math you need on your fingers and toes. I always refer back to something Michael Bush said some time ago:

"In 24 hours you can usually find the beginings of a queen cell. In 48 you'll find several queen cells. In five days you'll find capped queen cells. In 13 days you'll find empty queen cells. In 25 days you'll find newly laid eggs from the new queen."

So any queen cells you find capped 4 days after dequeening a hive are most likely from older larvae, right? I only did this once last year and the development schedule fit Micheal's timeline perfectly right down to the day I found eggs.

George-


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

My usual means of making increase or replacing deadouts is to split my two story colonies by equalizing brood, bees and stores between the two deeps, placing a bottom board on the ground in front of the original hive, putting the second deep on this and leave it alone for a week. 

When I return to it in a week, the colony with the queen cells doesn't have a laying queen and the other one does. I either split the queen cell colony into nuc boxes or I leave it in the full sized equipment to grow. I add more bees, brood and/or stores, if necessary.

More often than not this works well for me. This year I'm going to modify this technique, if I can get queen cells.

If so, I'll split up the original colony and add a queen cell to each part. Don't bother looking for the queen. The cost of a cell compared to the time wasted looking for the queen balances out the expense of the cell. If the new queen emerges before the old queen finds her, then maybe we'll have a new queen in that colony too.


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## Finman (Nov 5, 2004)

When you raise queens in emergency cells it is difficult to cut them apart and put them into separate queen cages. Many violantion will occur in queens: antenna, legs, ...

When queens are near emerging it is comfortable to divide whole hive into nucs and take nucs over 3 miles distance. Queens emerge then in peace.

Of course if bees hidden some queen cell into fames, that will emerge after 10 days and kills others. This is allways what you should care for.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

http://www.beeworks.com/MakingQueens.htm

"We cut out any cells capped over at 4 days, after the egg frame is added"


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## wayacoyote (Nov 3, 2003)

Thanks guys.









Actually I did well in math. But I abandoned engineering to become a biologist. Interestingly, Entomology is the subject I had to repeat. When the professor taking roll call asked, "Coyote, why are you taking this class again?" I responded that I enjoyed it sooooooo much the first time. 

Waya


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