# A Strong Cell Building Colony



## Fishman43 (Sep 26, 2011)

Loving the videos, keep'em coming... Just watched the releasing the attendants video as well. Why do you not keep them in the cage with the queen?


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

When she's all alone in that cage, with no attendants to rely on, she's going to beg for help from the now queenless bees in the nuc. I think that must help with acceptance. Do I know that for sure? Of course not.


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## Fishman43 (Sep 26, 2011)

Thank you for the reply Michael


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## scokat (Apr 19, 2011)

when you remove the queen from the colony, with say a couple of frames, for how many days? 5. you just recombine the colony with the grafts above a queen excluder. The hive accepts the queen back in with no issues. I know this is not exactly what you do, but basically is this scenario correct.?


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

No issues. The queenless cell building has been queen-less for 5 days. The queen is an actively laying queen. No problems.


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## tommyt (Aug 7, 2010)

In this video! 2 questions
Is the cell builder in front of the main hive's entrance? Thus getting the field bees as they return
When you say you put brood frames up on top of main hive 
a week earlier, Did you put 8 frames of brood? Or 10 then pulled two 
The one for pollen and the other for cells

Thanks


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

tommyt said:


> Is the cell builder in front of the main hive's entrance? Thus getting the field bees as they return
> 
> When you say you put brood frames up on top of main hive
> a week earlier, Did you put 8 frames of brood? Or 10 then pulled two
> The one for pollen and the other for cells Thanks


The queen-right section is turned 180˚ and onto ground. Cell building section gets the field force and the nurse bees.

I run 9 frames. 10 days before graft, I give the box with 2 frames of honey....one at each sidewall, and 7 frames of sealed/emerging brood and bees. Grafting day morning set up the cell building unit...remove the 2 honey frames, and make a space in the middle for a pollen comb and the graft. The graft goes in in the afternoon after the cell builder has been queenless for 2 or 3 hours.


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## RonnieS (Sep 12, 2012)

So this is as per your Honey show video?


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## whiterk (Sep 29, 2013)

Seeing the video really makes things clear after reading your post and watching your other video's. Thanks for posting Michael! Great Stuff!


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## BernhardHeuvel (Mar 13, 2013)

whiterk said:


> Seeing the video really makes things clear...


Yeah, can't wait until Michael Palmer gets a GoPro video cam, too, and is video-battling with Michael Bush.  Or maybe the beesource club should collect money to buy more cameras for the experts here to produce most exzellent videos. :thumbsup:


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Googleglasses maybe?


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## TWall (May 19, 2010)

Michael,

It was nice ot watch bees on the February day in central Ohio. I had to work Saturday when it got up in the the upper 40's and the bees were probably flying.

How is Meat?


Tom


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## WBVC (Apr 25, 2013)

I am concerned about knowing the Queen is definitely not in the cell builder box.
Do you select frames of sealed and emerging brood, a couple of honey/pollen filled frames, shake off clinging bees into a box of the main hive, put an excluder over the main hive, let the bees come up through the excluder to cover the frames in the box above the excluder. Leave a space in the middle to receive the graft frame.
Then move the cell builder box onto a base and give it a top. Put it in front of the main hive and turn the main hive entrance 180 to the builder hive.
Wait a few hours, put in the graft frame.
Wait 5 days then put it on top of the main hive with excluder between.
Wait until the 10th day post graft and move cells to mating nucs or destination hive.
Do you put cage rollers over the Queen before expected emergence?

Do you leave the cell builder on top of the main hive with an excluder and move in capped emerging brood before using it as a builder again?


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

TWall said:


> Michael, How is Meat? Tom


Funny you should ask. She's her usual self....

Meet Meat

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9juO6Ya8_0E


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

WBVC said:


> >>I am concerned about knowing the Queen is definitely not in the cell builder box.
> Do you select frames of sealed and emerging brood, a couple of honey/pollen filled frames, shake off clinging bees into a box of the main hive, put an excluder over the main hive, let the bees come up through the excluder to cover the frames in the box above the excluder. <<
> 
> No, I haven't got time for that. I just examine the comb for the queen. I miss one once in awhile but I always set up an extra builder.
> ...


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