# Did some building today...



## HONEYDEW (Mar 9, 2007)

nice looking castle, nothing but rain here also


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

Well thought out design. Very nice.


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## odfrank (May 13, 2002)

How did you choose your entrance locations?


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## wheeler88 (Mar 6, 2011)

Fine looking job. How will you use this in your queen rearing operation. Is it going to be just a starter? 
(90% rain here too)


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## sevenmmm (Mar 5, 2011)

Good thing about the rain is lots of time to spruce up the bee hives... I'll have to post some pictures too.

Got some fishing to catch up on though.


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## John V (Jun 7, 2010)

Thanks guys!

>How did you choose your entrance locations?

I based the entrances on two factors which I feel are important...cross ventilation and minimizing drifting. Each entrance is at the bottom and on different sides. They are also as far away from the top vents as possible to allow good cross ventilation.

>How will you use this in your queen rearing operation. Is it going to be just a starter? 

Honestly, I don't know exactly yet. This is only my second year, so I'm just trying things out that appeal to me. I like Michael Bushes ideas on removing queen cells from hives rather than destroying them. I am also going to experiment with foundationless, so I see an opportunity to try both of these concepts out and hopefully learn some valuable lessons. My working idea (if it would quit raining) is to check my hives for swarm cells and remove them to this queen castle along with a frame of honey. The frames I remove I will replace with foundationless making sure they are between drawn combs. Hopefully this will help with swarming at least a little this year and I will have the concepts a little more solid to put into practice earlier next year. In the mean time, I will hopefully have some queens rearing in case I become queenless later in the season or perhaps I MIGHT make increases...Don't know yet. Do I know what I'm doing?...Not really, but I hope I'm inching closer. LOL!

Thanks, John


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

So that's what a queen castle is? Four two frame nucs in a ten frame box? Do you use that for mating?

Forgot to add, Looks nice. Good woodworking job.


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## wheeler88 (Mar 6, 2011)

Sounds like you got a plan, thanks for sharing the info..............


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