How To Make Queen Mating Nucs - Made SIMPLE

In this video, we're going to show you how to make queen mating nucs, made SIMPLE! These nucs are the perfect way to increase your bee colony numbers quickly and easily, and they're perfect for beginner beekeepers!
If you're looking for a way to increase your number of colonies quickly and easily, then look no further! This video will show you how to make queen mating nucs, made SIMPLE, and they're the perfect way to keep your apiary strong with young, healthy queens.
00:00 Introduction
00:26 How to set up 2 frame mating nuc
02:24 Mating Nuc#1
04:29 Mating Nuc#2
05:19 Mating Nuc#3
06:15 Egg to Queen Laying timeline
07:36 Conclusion
Thanks for watching!

[@wilmafeuerstein434]

Thanks for the queen calendar. This is very helpful.

[@Bee_Cathy]

Thank you for another helpful tutorial. Next spring we will try this.

[@elli637]

You are a great instructor, I’m new but I’m learning, showing what your doing with great up close and instructions helps my bee keeping journey easier.Also helps keep my hive alive.

[@brandonsbees1]

Thank you very much. We are always learning that's for sure! Glad I could be helpful and the best to you.

[@tattoosbyjoe216]

Great info. Thanks

[@brandonsbees1]

Glad it was helpful!

[@leonardhoule1354]

All right good info thank you very

[@brandonsbees1]

Very welcome

[@shawnh8754]

Thank you. This is very helpful!

[@brandonsbees1]

Hello Shawn, you are very welcome! I hope this helps out!

[@Nectarking]

Hi, is there book that you would recommend for step by step queen rearing.?

[@brandonsbees1]

Sorry just now seeing this. "Queen Rearing Essentials" is a fantastic book! Dr. Connor has a fantastic line of book I would check them out!

[@dwren4554]

Well organized and presented with excellent clear video in the cells. What camera are you using?

[@brandonsbees1]

Hello there, I just use my iPhone camera for most videos!

[@NevadaBeeMan-nq3po]

So how long do you leave the cells before you go back into them to check if they are mated and laying?

[@brandonsbees1]

The earliest if I know she will emerge in a day or two, I wait 14 days, usually like to wait longer around 21 days to give her a full week of laying and its easier to see if you have a successful queen or not!

[@jimhughes6794]

Where did you find the clear veil? Does it fog up?

[@martindesomma9623]

I believe that David Burns KZbin channel has directions on how to place clear plastic on the veil.

[@brandonsbees1]

I believe it's called "The Easy See." hard plastic outline that installs with screws. It does fog up but maybe it has just been humid when I was in the hives with it! It's very easy to see out of and helps with seeing the eggs in the bottom of the cells in the darker hives. Hope that helps!

[@martindesomma9623]

The David Burns video is called..beekeeping-I discovered a better way to see your queen and eggs. Good luck.

[@ronaldcutshall2981]

Yes they fog up if you get your mouth to close to the plexiglass

[@scotthenderson4376]

I have a small 8 hive Apiary, do you think its better to just make a split and let them choose a cell for there queen or me to try grafting and go thru that process? I only need like 2 nuc's as backup for my hives and don't want to get into selling to people. I'd just rather have acouple nuc's standing by, it's not like there going to stay 2-5 frame forever

[@brandonsbees1]

Hey Scott, that is a great question. As long as there are other colonies within a 3-mile radius the queens that are produced will mate. The question is how strong are the colonies that you currently have will help determine nutrition of the queen. Some beekeepers like to do walk away splits; for example, if you have a double deep colony with all of the frames covered. Make sure there are eggs/young larvae in each box and the hive that doesn't have the queen will raise a queen. I would think of going this route if you want to keep things simple. I have never done a walk away split, but I have heard it can be done with great success if you have extra bees. Maybe make a couple extra just in case some queens don't come back/mate. Hope this helps thanks and let me know what you decide and if it worked out!

[@mmb_MeAndMyBees]

Hey Guys. . . Making Queen Cells via a Split. . . (Over that of Nicot, of course you 'space' them as needed in their holding bars.) Have you tried "Indenting" (My Term : not sure what else to call it !) Probably a term out there ! That's what I decided to call it, here in Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 . . . 😏 Principle is to get "Queen Cells" where you want them ! When using a "Brood Frame" of Natural Drawn Wax ! 😉 Where "Cells" wont be 'made' tight in Corners, back to back at same location on said Frame. (Been there done that.) That's what Bees do, if left to their own devices. 🙃 Get a Frame of eg x3 Day old Larva from the Colony you like the best / want to reproduce that Queens 'traits' from ! A Cell with lots & lots of Royal Jelly makes the best QC's. 👌 Memo : Remember you know your : 'Momma' but can't ID Pappa ! You will have a 'Daughter Queen' with Great Mothers % Genes (+ %'s of Mutiple Father Genes.) Unless your Artificially Inseminate the Virgin Queens. Who does ? So any Queens you raise will be 'open to nature' on depending who those VQ's mate with. 😏 I trust my many Colonies will go out and flood the local DCA with 'hard as nails' scottish Drones ! I'm also lucky not having any Beek with say 'mongrel' Bees near me. My Colonies produce the Drones ! In my Area we are lucky to have Braveheart style Black Bees AMM. . . 😁 Find that Frame and use your Hive Tool, even a 'Teaspoon' Handle works great as well. You 'indent' all the Cells/Wax and any other material under "that Chosen Larva" by doing some Indenting / Pressing in of all that Comb etc : say about 1/2 Inch width under all 'Larva' chosen, so any 'QC' has good clearance under and a bit either side to "Where" it will hang ! Your creating a " Cell" above a Cliff edge, with nothing there underneath !" This will result in any "Larva" being Drawn Down into an awesome "Free Hanging" Peanut/ like Queen Cell. . . All evenly spaced, so YOU can get to it easily. Right on the Comb Face : evenly spaced. Suggest say choosing x6 Cells Across an Inch under the Top Bar, then do say x6 more a good x3 Inches below the upper ones. If doing more on the Frame Reverse Side. . . Do that 1st Row x2 Inches below that Woodward. And the next Row x3 Inches up from the lower Rail. You don't want ANY Cell to be back to back in Location, or it gets impossible to cut them apart without damaging the Capped Cell. 😖 All this works best on Natural Drawn Comb (I don't buy or use premade Wax Foundation, UK has more Pesticides from Wax Banks via unknown VM residue treatments. Or imported Chinese Wax, etc !) Also this indenting : doesn't do well on Plastic Foundation, there is not 'give' to indent that Wax Comb properly ! I suggest doing the Indenting also x1 Inch in from either Side Bar too. So to get "Perfect" Cell access. It needs to have a margin of Comb either side and above each 'chosen location.'👍 Harvesting : I use Scissors ! ✂️ By cutting each one out with a good margin of Wax, then trim this back until the "Hanging Queen Cell can be added to a Roller Cage etc. Do keep a small chunk of Comb above said QC, this allows you to add it Hanging down in a Roller Cage and that Wax acts as a 'Stopper plug' to seal that QC' so Colony Bees cannot get to it. (Allowed them to 'Hatch' and emerge' safely, within that cage.) Place them In a Nuc, or 'Banked' within say a Queenless Colony. (Even allow them to Hatch in a Small Chicken Egg Incubator.) Or hand Cell/ Virgin Queen onto another Beek. But keep it warm and ideally upright. . . A Queen Cell can survive outside the Colony, if its Harvested say x24 hrs before its due to emerge. The Pupae within is fully formed. Keep Cells in their Cages at 35C (is that about 95F ?) Eg in your Kitchen away from draughts ! Whole QC raising 'concept'. Sure someone else already invented this 'Technique' aka, has a "Term" already. 🤭 Meantime, have a go making your own QC's via: 'indenting'. Good luck. . . 😎

[@GeorgeJenkins-wm1tf]

where did u get your clear shield for your face. I found them overseas but can't get anyone to contact me to purchase one. i have bad eyesight and have a very hard time seeing thru the mesh

[@brandonsbees1]

The screen is called "The easy see". Here is a link if that helps! www.theeasysee.com/

[@fati_scotland]

🇮🇹 queen sicula and ligustica 👌

[@brandonsbees1]

please respond in english so I can give a good response ! 😀

[@fati_scotland]

you don't know how to read😂, they are the best queens,Sicula and Ligustica ok boss

[@richardevans3084]

If your Breeder Queen is an Italian/Yellow; why is it that her daughters are not all yellow also This has always confused me as i’ve also bred from yellow Queens and Resulted in Hybrid yellow/ black Virgins