# Queen Kit comparison



## honeyman46408 (Feb 14, 2003)

I have the one from Mann Lake it looks more like the one from Better Bee, I have no idea if the "parts" will interchange.

http://www.mannlakeltd.com/catalog/page33.html


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## Velbert (Mar 19, 2006)

The brushyMountain has a plug, that you place on the graft bar. 

And the ones from MannLake and Better bee have cell cups so they will not interchange with BrushyMountain or MannLake


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

The parts between the Jenter (Brushy Mt) and the Betterbee one are not interchangable. The concept is the same. I don't know if the Mann Lake version is the same, but I suspect it might be.


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## bee crazy (Oct 6, 2005)

Better bee's is the Nicot system, brushey mt is a Jenter system, Mann Lakes looks like a Nicot system too but better ask to be sure, I have the nicot system and bought it from the bee works in Canada from David Erie along with his 20 min.DVD on the use of the Nicot system.

http://www.beeworks.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=118

I had a 40% success rate from my first try thanks to that DVD. and David is very helpful if you have any questions or problems he is right there via email with support and pics. He is the inventer of that D.E. hive so he is very bee knowledgable.


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## bleakley (Jun 13, 2004)

*coyote*,

The nicot and Jenter systems are quite similar and work on the same principles. Capacities are also similar.

After reviewing the nongrafting systems available, I chose the Jenter product from Brushy Mountain. I used it a few times last year and achieved good results. With repetition, I expect better results.  

The instructions that accompanied the Jenter system, however, were not well done.  

The one design "shortcoming" I note in the Jenter system is the means used to hold the cell cups in the bars of the cell frames. The cell bars are metal strips into which holes are made to receive the cell cups. After the queen cells are drawn, you must pull the queen cells back through the holes to remove them from the cell frames. Often, the queen cells are too big to pull them through without trimming excess wax off the queen cells. I ruined a few queen cells in the process, but with care was able to keep the rate of loss within acceptable range.

Overall, I am satisfied with the Jenter system. It works!


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## Barry Digman (May 21, 2003)

Bob, and the rest of you, thanks. I'm gonna give it my best shot this year. The prices for packages, nucs, and queens are forcing me from beehaver to keeper. (I do want at least a couple of Michael's and Bjorn's queens this year in order to see what real queens are supposed to be.)


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## Jon McFadden (Mar 26, 2005)

I bought a system from both Mann-Lake and Betterbee. They are both Nicots.
One thing on the frames. I bought two of these from Betterbee because they are so much cheaper than the individual parts. The brown cup holders are hot glued to the bars. I used them as they were last year. This year, I am going to remount them with a closer spacing per beeworks video.
Jon


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## NW IN Beekeeper (Jun 29, 2005)

Correct me if I'm wrong, I've heard from fellow beekeepers that have switched "brands" that each system has a different feeling cup. 

One has cups that are little deeper than the other. 
This can make tool manipulations harder/easier if you graft into the cups.

And one is more textured cups than the other.
This may make larval transfer easier, or cause you accidently roll larvae upon removal of the tool. 

If you plan to graft into the cups...
Just as a thought, if you have beekeepers near you with both systems, you may want to try your hand at grafting into each of them to see what you prefer. It is your handling that will make or break either system if you graft into the cups. 

If you plan to let the queen lay into the cups...
It probably doesn't matter too much what system you use, so long as replacment parts are readily available now and in the future (you can see into the future right?) [SMILE]. 

-Jeff


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## Barry Digman (May 21, 2003)

"If you plan to let the queen lay into the cups..."

This is my plan. I had to quit tying trout flies because of unsteady hands, and I don't think grafting would be very productive for me.


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## Jon McFadden (Mar 26, 2005)

I can tell you from personal knowledge that the two I have came from the same company in France. One came from Mann-Lake in 1999 and the other came from Betterbee in 2005. The cups are interchangeable. It doesn't matter if they are different lengths, from different lots, It is only the bottom that is exposed to the queen and the length of the cell is set by the cell grid. Non of the cups I have (550) from the two different sources are different lengths.
Jon


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## Keith Benson (Feb 17, 2003)

"If you plan to graft into the cups..."

I am confused, why would you buy a graftless system, only to graft . . or am I missing something?

Keith


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## Keith Benson (Feb 17, 2003)

"I have the nicot system and bought it from the bee works in Canada from David Erie along with his 20 min.DVD on the use of the Nicot system"

And his price seems to be the lowest ad 55 bucks or so.

Keith


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## honeyman46408 (Feb 14, 2003)

Keith

How is the DVD I am thinking about buying one?


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## Keith Benson (Feb 17, 2003)

I haven't actually made use of the information, but I thought it was clear, consise and easy to follow. In short - I would buy it again if I had to. Get the one with the three methods of rearing queens as it has the nicot on it, and you never know if you might want to learn to graft later.

Keith


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## blammer (Jul 28, 2006)

Lay off the coffee!


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## Keith Benson (Feb 17, 2003)

No one seems over-caffeinated.

Keith


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>How is the DVD I am thinking about buying one?

Very nice.


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## Velbert (Mar 19, 2006)

*Nicot Graftless/Queen Rearing*

Her was 10 well built Cells that came from the Nicot. I placed the Queen in the Grid Box and left her there she is still in the box it has been 17 days now. About the 10 well built Cells the same Big Baby nuc that has the Graftless grid with the breeder Queen in it built these cells 10 out of ten / They also have 16 more cells caped that they built out of 20 and I put in 10 more yesterday and they have started 9 of them hoping for at least 8.I alway trying different ways.

http://s59.photobucket.com/albums/g307/vlwbee/?action=view&current=100_0950.jpg


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>I placed the Queen in the Grid Box and left her there she is still in the box it has been 17 days now. 

You left the queen in the grid box for 17 days? Aren't the cells FULL of multiple eggs? I would think the bees would start thinking of superceding her after that long. I confine mine one day out of seven.


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## Velbert (Mar 19, 2006)

*Very few double lay ed*

Might skip 2 days Usually pulling young larvae and using in other cell builders

They want to supersede that is why they are building all the queen cells for me in the same box with the caged queen in the grid box. 10,16 and starting the last 9 cell.I just made sure I have knocked off all the emergence queen cells.

When I pull out the cups for use I will place the left over ones that are eggs along the sides and top and bottom and place the new Empty cups in the center. This way I know where the oldest and the youngest are.


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## IndianaHoney (Jun 5, 2006)

I have the nicot system from betterbee, just got it today. I have never raised queens, nor have I ever used a queen excluder, but the plastic queen excluder on the front of that box looks like the holes are to small for even a worker to get into. Anyone have this system from betterbee, and have any trouble with that?


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

I'm sure they can get through fine.


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## CWBees (May 11, 2006)

I just purchased the Nicot system and their instructional Nicot System DVD from Beeworks. The DVD was well worth it since it gave a good overview how to use the system. I want to experiment with the system so I can get some queens for splits and I may send a queen or two to my cousin in upper state NY. I would like to purchase baby nucs. I see that Brushy Mt. sells them. Does anyone else sell baby nucs?


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

Mann Lake. Probably a lot of others too.


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## Velbert (Mar 19, 2006)

*Mating Nuc's*

Try these are great top bar mating nucs just put a strip of foundation on each frame to guide them 

http://www.beeworks.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=10&products_id=129


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## CWBees (May 11, 2006)

Has anyone tried Brushy Mt's Baby nuc.

http://www.brushymountainbeefarm.com/products.asp?pcode=657


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