# queen rearing question



## dudelt (Mar 18, 2013)

I will be raising my own queens next year for the first time. At most, I will have 10-15 hives total and no desire to have more. I will not be selling any, they are only for my use in re-queening and making splits. Is it really worth my while to learn grafting or is Nicot/Miller/others a better choice? Any thoughts on what would be the best route are appreciated.


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## crofter (May 5, 2011)

For the last two seasons I have used the Snelgrove division board method to requeen hives, produce some other queens for splits while at the same time providing excellent swarm control measure. Easy to use selected queens genetics and have lesser queen hives host the process if you desire.


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## kilocharlie (Dec 27, 2010)

For 15 queens, I'd use Oldtimer's method, aka Cut Cell Method, also Jay Smith / Henry Alley method.

I notice that the link to Oldtimer's famous thread is no longer listed among the "sticky notes" at the top of this page. Here's the link:

http://www.beesource.com/resources/...queen-cells-without-grafting-cut-cell-method/

It is worth reading the whole thing, even though it is a bit long. The first page or 2 will give the photos and instructions. You'll need to make up a 6-frame, vented nucleus hive and a feeder rim and top. You'll need 15 mating nucleus boxes and drawn combs to fill them with.

You may not get all 15 of your queens to "take", don't be discouraged, just set up again and make another run. This is standard practice. A lot of us make up to 20 queens at a time in the peak of the season and keep the cycle running every 11 days all Spring and Summer long, using one 6-frame vented nucleus cell raiser box and 40 mating nuc's (20 at a time - they are in the mating nuc's for 22 days, then cycle the other half of them).


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## Slow Drone (Apr 19, 2014)

Oldtimers cut cell method is in elements of beekeeping. Go to where the new threads are first posted and click on resources then elements of beekeeping.


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## heaflaw (Feb 26, 2007)

I've had good success with Miller, Hopkins and Disselkoen methods. Cutting out queen cells and placing them in mating nucs is easy and you're not constrained by having to do it on a certain day. Just be very gentle with them. You don't need 40 queens at one time like grafting would give and you don't need to make the strong cell builder that grafting requires. You also don't need larva of an exact age like grafting requires: who cares if they emerge a few days apart. Make a strong split with appropriate comb and eggs/young larva for a handful of queen cells. Then do it again a few weeks later. Use a different queen mother each time to help maintain genetic diversity.


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## kilocharlie (Dec 27, 2010)

You can isolate the breeder queen so that she is laying in a freshly-drawn comb and 80 hours later, you'll have several near-perfect-age larvae.


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## beepro (Dec 31, 2012)

I would master the technique of grafting for a long term sustainable bee
operation. When professional members here have use them to grow queens and for
sale then I think it is worth it to learn more. There will be a learning curve in the 
beginning before you finally got it down. I did!
Don't worry about the number of queens you will get but more of the technique and 
method involved at first. I also use the accepted cells to transfer them directly on the pollen frames to grow
bigger cells. In return I got healthier mated queens that they do not supersede them
much. None this season! Solved my issue of queens suddenly disappearing in the middle of summer. You
might like the graft cells on the pollen frames. Holding onto the plastic queen cup is better than holding on the
soft queen cell. I don't like crushing the cells or cutting holes into the new drawn comb either. Grafting once
mastered will simplify things a lot.


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## johnwratcliff (Feb 24, 2015)

I'm going to try all techniques this year. OTS, grafting, cut strip like old timer. Just something to have fun with. I wasn't very good at grafting last year. Only one take but not bad. Just gotta try


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## ruthiesbees (Aug 27, 2013)

I use emergency queen cells for my new queens. New soft comb in foundationless topbars. Let the queen lay it up and then remove her from the big hive over to a nuc. The main hive makes queen cells that you cut out and remove to mating nucs.


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## lharder (Mar 21, 2015)

I second Crofter as it accomplishes a few things at once. I got some nice queens from this method this year. But also try some other things just for interest sake.


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## dudelt (Mar 18, 2013)

kilocharlie said:


> For 15 queens, I'd use Oldtimer's method, aka Cut Cell Method, also Jay Smith / Henry Alley method.


Thanks to everyone for the replies. This looks to be the perfect method for me and I believe I am smart enough to do it well!


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