# Can I use a Chicken Egg incubator?



## Topeka (Mar 23, 2011)

Yesterday I checked a nuc that I received on 4/17/11. On the first frame I pulled out I found 5 large queen cells on one side. Could I cut out 4 of the cells and place them in an accurate egg incubator? Would they hatch as simply as a chicken egg?


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## MichaBees (Sep 26, 2010)

I do, just make a custom cage so that your queen is confined and easy to handle once it emerges.


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## Topeka (Mar 23, 2011)

MichaBees said:


> I do, just make a custom cage so that your queen is confined and easy to handle once it emerges.


I didn't think about that. Any simple queen cage plans?


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## WV Bee Guy (May 10, 2011)

What temp. do you keep the incubator at?


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## Topeka (Mar 23, 2011)

WV Bee Guy said:


> What temp. do you keep the incubator at?


Somebody said 93F


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## MichaBees (Sep 26, 2010)

*Re: Can I use a Chicken Egg incubator?i*

I just mix my cells with wherever I have at the moment. Temp is set to the specific eggs. The queen cell just develop no matter what temp is good for hatching eggs. The cage? Its just a little box made of discarded screen,leftovers from bottom screen construction.


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## Joseph Clemens (Feb 12, 2005)

*Re: Can I use a Chicken Egg incubator?i*

The cells need to remain oriented correctly (tip pointing down), it helps if the nurse bees can prepare the cells for emergence (they remove the wax at the tip a day or two before emergence), but the queens can emerge without that help. It also helps if there are nurse bees waiting to attend the newly emerged virgins immediately after emergence.


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## Rather-b-beekeeping (May 7, 2011)

*Re: Can I use a Chicken Egg incubator?i*

Good question! I have been thinking about trying the incubator idea myself!


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