Raising Queens - Grafting to Incubation

[@kamonreynolds]

Where we purchased the Incubator: amzn.to/2TGBQAi Where we purchased the Chinese Grafting tools: amzn.to/3vwr4K0

[@nathankeach1370]

@KamonReynolds do you have the steps on raising queens written down by chance? If you do it would be great to see it written out.

[@aventureabeille9257]

Very good 🐝🐝🐝🏞️🏞️🏞️🏞️

[@kelcidonahue7835]

Hi where did you find the tray you’re using inside of the incubator?

[@jamesmcnally2519]

Thank you for the shout out! I am thrilled that you enjoy the table!

[@kamonreynolds]

Yes it is very nice. Both sets of legs you sent work well but the ones in the video were my favorite of the two

[@jamesmcnally2519]

@@kamonreynolds Thrilled! I am totally thrilled that something i made you enjoy! The legs were the two options i came up with and now build them with the set that you are using. Great video as always and great pictures! Those were some of the clearest pictures of eggs and larva that i have seen a and clearly showed the stages of development. Your wife is a incredible film maker! For those looking for a table yes i do sell them but there is a complete video (love KZbin) on my channel at kzbin.info/door/4tjbe3zH8b6PeKz_5ncYUg

[@charlesboring4553]

@@kamonreynolds How do you introduce virgin queen into a matting box after they hatch? Thanks for all the great videos.

[@darrelmcgehee3707]

James, do you sell the stands?

[@jamesmcnally2519]

@@darrelmcgehee3707 I do I also uploaded a video if your handy in the shop!

[@attesmatte]

I've been hatching chickens at home for almost ten years now, so I used one of my chicken incubators for the cells, and I now have six newly emerged queens in there waiting to be put into their mating nucs! 😍 I owe my beginner success to Kamon, Bob Binnie and Michael Palmer! ❤️ If it weren't for them showing how it's done and telling everyone to "just do it!", I probably wouldn't have made this happen. Many thanks for all the great videos Kamon and Laurel! 😀👍

[@framcesmoore]

I watch all of them as well

[@ke6gwf]

Add Ian, Canadian Beekeeper’s Blog in there too, they go well together, lots of secrets from different styles and areas.

[@fishmut]

Awesome stuff Sara , bee keepers never stop learning , a life time learning makes it exciting. 😉

[@FrederickDunn]

Yes, those are all fantastic people. I'm also glad you enjoy rearing chickens (">

[@attesmatte]

@@FrederickDunn I'm not raising chickens anymore unfortunately, it got too expensive with feed, and the electricity prices here in Sweden have skyrocketed, so we couldn't afford to keep the chickens snug in winter. 😕

[@horizontalbees]

James M. Nice Grafting stand!!! Thanks Kamon for all the help you give to beekeepers!!!!

[@jamesmcnally2519]

Thanks Rickey!

[@noahG82]

You selling these James?

[@jamesmcnally2519]

@@noahG82 Yes I sell them! There is also a video if your handy in the shop on my channel on how to make them!

[@jamesmcnally2519]

@@noahG82 kzbin.info/door/4tjbe3zH8b6PeKz_5ncYUg

[@jamesmcnally2519]

@@noahG82 Yes i sell them! If your handy in the shop i put up a video on how to make them as well on my channel

[@donbearden1953]

Thanks again K&L! Kamon jokes about being a little short and he may not run 1500 or 2000 hives but in quality and willing to explain to help others he stands heads above the rest!!!

[@huggybare9]

Best beekeeper on KZbin

[@shareemibitsfala5534]

By far the most interesting and informational bee channel on YT. I can’t wait for the day where i have enough hives and confidence to tinker/learn the way you do, Kamon!

[@MyrtheDV]

I have no idea how I came to this video but very interesting! You explain really calm and well.

[@babybeeapiaries8667]

yes the webbing I found out the hard way. Almost 90% of my queen cells had webbing around them, what a pain. I'll try the empty frame of foundation next time. Thanks for the tip.

[@matthewtidwell357]

Hey big dog,,, you help me tons of info,, glad I’m in same latitude as you ,, ,, Go Vanderbilt!!🤙🤙🤙

[@dsummerscm]

Another fantastic video! Thanks for all the information!

[@neilbush9873]

Good stuff, teaching not just showing off, I appreciate the effort you put in

[@lialos]

Kamon, those were some amazing closeups showing exactly which larvae to graft. Thank you! Very helpful.

[@kamonreynolds]

Thanks!

[@BlanchardsBees]

Think this is the best example of graphting that I've seen. Great picture!

[@FrederickDunn]

Fantastic and complete presentation, Kamon. I'm going to send people to this video during today's shout-out. I also like those GQF forced air incubators, I have the large cabinet-style GQF forced air unit and it's tall enough that you "could" put your frames with queen cells right in it without taking them apart. I hope you have a fantastic weekend ahead :)

[@GEEZBEEZ]

Nice job on the video. Like the grafting frame. Thanks for the information. Take care.

[@pirateprospecting707]

Fantastic video! Thanks for sharing all the information. ✅😁👍👍🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️

[@TheBoxingBee1]

Love this video

[@linditajoti668]

Thank you 🙏🏼

[@jorlinmarantejr.5067]

Very informative video, it's definitely going on my queen rearing playlist for later👍.

[@Mr.DFlo11]

Thank you for the advice 👊🐝

[@fanatamon]

I keep bees for 15yrs and This video is great, although I don’t raise queens intentionally but queen rearing and beekeeping in general does kind of remind of the matrix.

[@brookwoehl7729]

What a wonderful educational video on this topic. I think the beekeeper KZbin world really neede a well filmed video like this. One tip is not to you new comb. Old comb is much more stronger and makes for a smooth slide-&-pluck method without damaging the comb!

[@charlesoneill466]

Love the the truck.

[@hopesadler4000]

On a side note, I ordered 100 Premier deep foundations and told them I did so because of their support of you test yard. They had very nice things to say about you.

[@kamonreynolds]

Thanks for the telling me that. I have really enjoyed all 1100 sheets they sent us for the test yard. They smell amazing

[@hopesadler4000]

@@kamonreynolds I am impressed with the wax on them and couldn't believe how much time it saves installing them. Pop and go.

[@zetectic7968]

Another interesting & informative video with a good explanation of what is happening. The best gift is the unexpected one! Driving into my supermarket car park last week & the car slowly passed through a swarm looking for a new home 😀

[@modpilot17]

I see a lot of questions/comments below on smaller queen production methods. For me I only need 10 to 16 a year. On day nine I make up my splits/nucs and put the cells in nucs on day ten and leave one in the builder/finisher as a nuc. I don’t use grafting bars, just the plastic cups pushed into the comb on a frame in the builder/finisher. It works good for what I need.

[@daverowden-RowdyBeeFarms]

This looks fun, I think i will try it next year... Like usual... I appreciate your videos...

[@gingergard579]

Kamon I’m not a bee keeper but I love to learn about the queen piping and how queens are made

[@kamonreynolds]

Thanks so much Ginger Gard for taking the time to watch our videos and learn about our adventures with the amazing honeybee!

[@kevinwright8823]

Great information! Thanks guys!!

[@samkuhl]

Love your videos

[@randallcarter-carterhillho2277]

Very well done. Thank you for sharing that great information. Also congrats on your new extracting set up.

[@hopesadler4000]

Thank you for the close up of grafting. I did my first grafts yesterday and felt I must be the worst grafter on the planet. Now I see that I was doing it all wrong as far as approaching the larva. I think I got 15 and put them in starter/finisher. Will check Sunday to see how they are doing. Thank you for all your help and knowledge.

[@ianhollingsworth906]

Thanks

[@wrfarms9741]

EXCELLENT grafting close up video the camera skills get better all the time. Great job Laurel & Kamon both!

[@thuffman44]

Great video Kamon! Thank you 🐝🐝🐝✌️

[@TennesseeTim38451]

Another great and informative video!!!! Please keep up the great content!!!

[@Phanbaquy]

Hello video của bạn chia sẻ rất hay thanks bạn.

[@Liz_678]

Very interesting 🤔. Thanks!

[@CanadianDirt]

Thanks Kaymon for the video. I didn’t realize that we can move the grafted frames into the finisher so quickly.

[@dadu63]

Thanks kamon for sharing this. Gonna try and start doing this next spring. Been wanting to try and graft but I just split and let em make a queen. Takes a lil long that way. Thanks again buddy. Hope family is well.

[@kellen4811]

absolutely amazing

[@adelinaecobici4831]

Always ! Thancks !

[@VaderSpade]

We collect royal jelly from 4 day old queen cells and cut it with a little distilled water. Put a drop in the bottom of each queen cup. It makes it much easier to 'float' the larva off the tool, and they don't dry out. We make or own grafting tool from old nut pickers.

[@justinellis8517]

Great video with great explanation can you show more of the incubator in the nuc box looks interesting thanks again

[@iditarod4081]

I like your style

[@jameswmcpherson4986]

I was wondering if you had all of your knowledge and experience written? If not, have you ever thought about writing a "how to" book? That being said, I really enjoy watching your videos. I had bees back in the late 1980's and early 1990's, but lost my hives (4) to foul brood, and never got back into it. However, by the end of this summer I hope to have one or two hives built and populated and then really try to get things rolling in 2023.

[@MERRLINN]

Wow, it's a full time job

[@greghill9958]

Good job kamon keep it up

[@aBeekeepersLife]

Oh that is a very nice grafting stand apparatus, looks very easy to work with. I tried the chinese grafting tool for the first time this year, 15 of the 20 larvae got accepted. Way more than i can get with the Suisse tool(we call it the suisse tool, but it is probably the same as the german one you mentioned). The suisse tool is way more of a skill to master i guess. Great video, have a nice day

[@timlewis9873]

Good vid. Kamon.

[@matthewmccormick2417]

Graft in a room that has lots of light, Humid and warm is best. I am like IAN i use a cell builder and they stay in it till pulled into the incubator. They are held in it till day before hatch when they are set into a 6 frame nuke.

[@neilbush9873]

I spent some time ripping the surface of beebread frames I think it helps the bees munch in .

[@aCanadianBeekeepersBlog]

Nice grafting table

[@wess1405]

..Didn't help with the take though. :D Carrey could give Kaymon a lesson or five. Just kidding!

[@jamesmcnally2519]

Maybe I should send Carrey a table? Let me know I’m sure i could find one :)

[@kennith.]

Popped over from Frederick Dunn.

[@mikedarkow7788]

thank you

[@gatorbearbeeactionvideos1472]

Let a few rounds of brood to hatch before using new frames... helps make grafting easier!

[@jonhaskell9630]

I stagger four sponges, each crossways to the one below it, and leave them in an open shallow Tupperware sandwich tub. That lets the sponges wick up the water as they need it, and there's no drying out, or having to keep going back in to re-wet them.

[@ГлебПисаренко-х6ь]

СПАСИБО ( THANKS)

[@justdoesntaddup8620]

Another great informative and quality video, thanks Kamon and hello from Australia. Ha , looking through the questions and requests, , , Hope yr not planning holidays , lol.

[@michaelmaxfield1715]

I was watching one of your videos while you was doing a hive inspection. I figured out where I screwed up and I found my queen under the screen board she's been there for a month and the bees were building her Newcomb to lay in she's back in the hive layaway thanks. My mistake was setting my brood box flat in the grass when I took it off instead of laying it on the side

[@sallypatriot9015]

I would love to Purchase your Bee's Honey,for now I will wait for the Tennessee Bees Website while supporting my Local Bee Hives here in West Wisconsin Local Bee Hives. Consider me a Future Customer Love what you & Mrs. Reynolds are doing 😎💖

[@calvinkalmon6746]

Is there some main advantage to incubating the cells besides mild convenience? When it's time to place the cells in the nucs it just seems that there's really no difference whether you go pull them out of the finisher or you pull them out of the incubator?

[@lee22822]

As always... great video! Ty

[@marinevet7273]

Kamon, When you say put the cell in the mating nuc on DAY 10, is that 10 days from the larva graft ? I wish there was a timeline available from day of graft to placing in the starter finisher, to placing in the incubator, to the mating box etc I do appreciate all you do for beekeepers , education and promoting successful beekeeping Marine Vet, WA. State

[@cherylhurley7401]

Love your content wish I could work with you and get hands on I'm a new bee keeper bees will arrive at the end of march

[@dcmirk]

We'll gladly take your thunderstorms. Here in Minnesota we haven't had a substantial rain in over a month.

[@jtelander]

Thanks Kamon. I've purchased one of the hovabator incubators. What is the name of the orange colored trays that hold the queen cell protectors?

[@kevinkaplan7050]

Kamon, thanks for the breakdown of queen rearing! One question: If I am much more on a "hobby" level and just made 1 queen-less hive with lots of young bees and lots of food, can I graft and keep my cells in there for 10 days and then just bring them directly to the mating nucs? In other words, can I skip the finisher and incubator and still have decent odds of those cells making it if I just keep them in the starter the whole time?

[@LarryLeesBees]

Thank you for another great video Kamon and Laurel! Always excited to see a notification of a new video. I’m up to 17 hives now. Two swarm catches that I got called out to and 5 splits so far. I haven’t grown my own queens yet. Bee’s have been dictating all my splits. LoL!!! But soon I hope. Thanks again for a great video! 😃

[@nancynolton6079]

Here is a tip for you... A flat thin piece of metal behind where the grafts slide in will keep them from falling through the other side when inserting the grafting bars into the frame.

[@carrollrhodes4050]

Kamon, You have distinguished "worker jelly" and royal jelly. Good job. Great job on the larvae also. Most important is the larvae size, picking it up and placing into the queen cup just as it was laying in the worker cell. All around great videography and great content. New queen rears' take note and watch. You won't be sorry. Carroll

[@brendawydeven2934]

I have 2 top bar hives that survived winter. I have a small yard in the city. Do they sell starter kits with small mating nucs?

[@crabmansteve6844]

How does one get the amount of royal jelly needed for this? I'll assuming it's a significantly larger amount.

[@deanmalkewich9718]

Interesting, I’ve always ran queen right starter/finishers, separating the top box for 24-48 hours to get them started, then put back together to finish queen right. I watched a video with Cory and Ian, and they mentioned as long as the queen wasn’t running around on the comb where the cells were going in they would start them. Tried an experimental batch a few weeks ago, sure enough, no difference. I’ve also seen cells started in a queen bank, with the pheromones of 30+ queens wafting around.

[@gerryrozema8338]

A comment on take rates. I think to many folks get to hung up on the take rate for grafts. I take a different approach, always try graft into way more cups than I will have need for cells. Two days later, the bees will tell me how many of those I did a good job on, and how many I screwed up. Grafting into cups is the easiest, and least resource intensive step in the process of raising good queens. As long as we end up with enough cells to re-populate all the mating nucs on catch day, then the take rate is 'good enough'.

[@kamonreynolds]

Well said. We all like big takes but the reality is that even sometimes when we do a great job things happen. Flows end, bad weather occurs and more. Beekeeping is a numbers game

[@OTG414]

Great info as always. We are still pretty new to beekeeping and only have a couple hives. Last year we did loose most of our bees because we didn’t have any banked queens. We’d like to raise our own queens but we just don’t have enough equipment to have a dedicated queenless starter, incubator, mating nukes, etc... We are experimenting with walk away splits this year. What’s the best/easiest way for a new beekeeper to start making queens on a small scale without a lot of equipment?

[@ME_MeAndMyBees]

You can put a Nuc Box (Brood Box with Queen) on a Stand. Add a Double Mesh Floor / or two Mesh Floors on top of each other... Two non touching Colonies : Only x1 Queen in the bottom Nuc Box !!! Set Up : "You don't want Bees below - getting to touch Bees in the next upper Box !" Hence big gap between two Screens or Mesh Floors. Or they pass the Queen phremones to each other and No QC's get made. Add another Nuc Box on top, with lots and lots of Nurse Bees and Capped Brood, but No Queen! or Eggs ! Feed these Bees some 2:1 Syrup (2:1 feeds Bees, 1:1 makes Wax !) After a Few Days, the Bees up top will feel "queenless", so by adding a Frame of Eggs and Young Larvae from the below Brood Box (take Frame out but "No Bees" add a fresh Comb in their for the Queen to lay up Space wise, to prevent any Swarming etc ! 👍 Result : You have a good growing Colony in that Brood Box. Above Nuc will 'draw out several Queen Cells' as they 'know they have no Queen in their own Box. But will Make one or more, after about a week, left to their own devices, using the Eggs or Larva you added in. And these get extra warmth from that bottom Box. Bonus ! Make up some mini Mating Nucs, a Cup of Bees, on a small frame of cut out Capped Comb. On Day 14, take each Queen Cell Out of that top Nuc (or first Queen to hatch on Day 16 will kill all other QC's! ) You could add a QC to a DIY Cage, and let the Bees keep them Warm and Feed them (in that top Nuc Box.) But Virgins need to 'fly and mate' asap. So do several manipulations, to keep everything OK.... 😎 🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝 Happy Beekeeping 2022. 🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝 Tip : Grafts or use Cells Eggs get made Day 0 to Day 3. "QC's get made from Day 3 or Day 4 'Larva'." (Larva to old after Day 5.) Queens hatch on Day 16 ! So protect any QC from other QC's . Or one queen hatching will kill ALL other unhatched Queens. Make fine Wire Mesh tubes, Hair Rollers, add corks, bottle caps each end, kept upright! Where all Queen Cells are glued by wax at the top, hanging pointy end Downwards ! Keep them warm, with Nurse Bee coverage. And you should get lots of Queens without lots of Hives or equipment. ✔ 😎

[@aandjwynn]

Hey live 15 min from Gulf Shores!

[@charlesgregg2711]

Are you selling any bee's now? I live in Tennessee myself and have had my box set up for a few days, this will be my first bee's for myself and can't wait to get started I watch your videos every day and thanks for all the info..

[@kathrynjanes6977]

Hi Kamon. I’ve been watching SO many of your videos over the last 9-10 months as I’ve started beekeeping. Really excited to give a go at queen rearing(for myself) next spring. I have 5 colonies now and hoping for success overwintering so I can make splits and grow my number of colonies. Why would you choose to use a starter colony and a finisher colony over a starter/finisher? What would the setup of a starter/finisher colony look like in comparison to the separate starter and finishers?

[@corygriesemer645]

How do you keep hive beetles out of your pollen Pattie’s?

[@hunterhall5555]

What are the red (trays) called that hold the queen grafts and JZBZ push in protectors? I cannot seem to locate them. I have 30 grafts put into a starter yesterday and trying to purchase those "trays" in time! Thanks in advance

[@kamonreynolds]

They are jzbz brand trays. If you look at a Mann lake or Dadant catalog or website you should find them in the queen rearing section. They are QC-900 in the Mann lake catalog

[@hunterhall5555]

@@kamonreynolds Thank you so much! Keep up the great content-you are one of a few folks that continue to produce quality guidance on beekeeping!

[@joetripp123]

Any details on that first incubator? Plans if home made? Seems nice to be able to have a backup you can drop full frames in.

[@SRW1955]

Thank You Kamon !!!! If you replacing “300” queens, how many queens do you use for pulling eggs?

[@layneknight7835]

All great info, really appreciate your efforts. I was wondering if you could give a little more detail on timing. For example, when (what day) do you move cells out if finisher and into incubator. Appreciate any insight and forgive me if you mentioned it and I just missed it.

[@brandonbyrge4595]

What do you do with the queens that hatch you don't need or can't sell immediately

[@reholloway]

Can you do a video of your mating nucs and the process of the queens being mated. Thanks

[@jonhaskell9630]

That's uncanny. You must have ESPN! I just fired up the incubator, about to snag some queen cells from outside, and I plopped on the couch to find some videos as reminders. This popped up as soon as I opened the tube app.. I do have one question about the grafting... What are the temperature thresholds where you can graft without dooming the perspective queens? I'm in the northeast just off the coast, so having killer low humidity (dry them out) isn't as big a concern.

[@kathyhathaway8823]

As you put that egg in the cup did you put in the center of that ( y) looking part or off to the side of that ??

[@aventureabeille9257]

Good

[@davidhefner5668]

How much time should you be taking to do 2 bars of 19 cups? I know, do to humidity and temperature...with time being also a factor will damage the eggs.

[@kamonreynolds]

3-5 minutes

[@MegaDavyk]

Kamon, have you tried a Cloakboard so you can convert your starter hive into a finisher hive at the pull of a slide. Further if you can't get back to the apiary to remove the slide the next day you can use a sheet of News Paper instead of the metal slide and the bees will remove it for you.

[@michaelmcnair1880]

Maybe not the right place to ask this question but I can't find the answer anywhere else. When a queen cell is placed in a split immediately after the split is made will the queen cell stop the bees from making an emergency cell even if the cell you placed in there doesn't hatch for a day or two?

[@craigkirich9646]

Just a thought... Your live chats are very interesting and informative. I'm also a passionate America and respect the flag. Enough time has passed that a few items could make it onto the scene ;) I'm not saying a full Fred Dunn, but a I'm sure you have some things in the shed...

[@lagrangebees]

I'm still new to this, (started last year and have yet to try raising queens), and my question is: Could you put a capped queen cell in a nuc without having to go through the incubator? (I'm under the impression that very small bee yards wouldn't need a place to store queen cells). I Definitely see the usefulness when you have to move hundreds of cells, but from the point of view of a beekeeper trying to learn how to keep bees and has only a handful of hives, it feels like a viable option to take em from the finisher straight to the nucs. (Could be mistaken but Learning this stuff is important to me 😊)

[@ME_MeAndMyBees]

Lagrange... Yes, as long as the receiving Bees (Nuc Hive, Partitioned Hive Box (with opposite entrances, like two or three Nucs in one 'Brood Box'. Or Mini Mating Nuc,) etc are "Hopelessly Queenless"#, they will accept that "Capped Queen Cell." # Hopelessly Queenless means the Nurse Bees (non flying brood raisers Bees) have forgotten and lost loyalty to any Queen (and her phremones !) Bees, will lose QP's after several hours, but it's best to segregate (no flying forager worker bees are wanted here...) You need Nurse Bees only (!) Box them up for x3 or so days, to get them totally HQ'less. Eg block the entrance, so nobody flies out or in ! Like a visiting returner worker bee ! Use garden grass, damp newpaper etc, to do this. Remove later... 👍 Tip: Nurse Bees but where's the Queen... 👀 # Nurse Bees can be sourced by : taking lots of CAPPED BROOD frames, covered in Bees, even if the Queen might be 'somewhere ?' amongst them by.... 1. Shaking / Brushing : every single Bee off those Frames, into your Resource Hive (where they came from.) Store these Bees in a covered box, for a few minutes to do all Bee clearance. Then 2. Add a Queen Excluder (can be a temporary measure, if you don't normally use QE in your Hive Bodies.) Onto and above all those Shook or Brushed off Bees, in the Eg Brood Box below... 3. Get your Frames in said stored Brood Box, or two Nucs side by side, and place them (back on the same Hive as all those Bees) > On TOP of the QUEEN EXCLUDER. < And add a Roof, or Cover up that Box : to Stop ANY bees getting out, or in, and is weather tight. Leave this setup overnight ! ✓ 4. Next morning all those Frames of Brood, will have been a "Magnet" to call up all Nurse Bees (only) through that QE, clever or what !?😉 ... to keep that Brood warm. "Brood calls Bees, they get "Broody." 😁 5. Now you have lots of "Nurse Bees" to nurture future added Queen Cells, [without a Worker, or Queen being in there by error, or having sneaked in !!! ] 💪 6. Repeat adding Frames of totally Capped Brood, (no bees or eggs, or they will make swarm (rogue) cells of their genetics and not your Queen Cell of choice, you add as necessary, as often or as time requires more.... Adding Brood means every 21 days you have more Nurse Bees hatching, to continue in the Nursery. Raising the Babies 🍼, on a ongoing process. As Nurse Bees live for about 6 weeks or so.... So Queen Rearing over a Summer, takes several generations of Bees (that endless adding / of more Brood. ) To always have Nurse Bees for you next Queen Cell. 👍 When you stop needing Nurse Bees, combine them back to any Hive, maybe a weak one, by using a Sheet of Newspaper between them in their box, and the Hive of choice. (Stops any fighting, as Nurse Bees learn the Queen Phremones of their Foster (Reigning !) Queen. 👑 Hope this helps. 🤗 🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝

[@ME_MeAndMyBees]

Typo... 1. Store those Frames (with no BEES on them, in a covered Box (!) ....

[@joetripp123]

I'm slightly confused. 8:35 so the finisher colony - if they are queen right they wouldn't be building queen cells. Were the cells capped in a starter colony before you moved them into this finisher colony? Or does it not matter after the first 24-48 hrs in the starter (once the workers pack in royal jelly it's going to be a queen no matter what)? I saw someone while incubating take their JZBZ queen cells and put the end of the cell into a queen cage. That way they can let the cells hatch in the incubator and the virgin queen is trapped. Seemed like a good idea.

[@kamonreynolds]

They spend 1 day in the starter. Then 6 days in the finisher. Queen right Finishers stink at starting cells but are great at finishing. Starters aren't as good at finishing but are great at starting

[@nock1983]

@@kamonreynolds Can you explain more why the starter doesn’t do as good of a job at finishing? Great video by the way. Nice close up view.

[@yoopermann7942]

i have a question? does all that smoking and shaking cause the bee`s to sting? thank you for the tips, great learning video

[@jeremyhuggins8796]

How did you establish your starter colony? Did take frames from other hives, or just remove the queen from them?

[@kamonreynolds]

Just shook a bunch of bees from multiple big colonies that could afford it and a frame of solid capped brood. This is not the only way to make a starter though

[@psybog100]

Why can't you leave the drafts in the starter until the bees completely build the queen cells. Why do you need a separate builder hive?

[@iditarod4081]

Why are they not just making regular worker bees out of those cell cups is it the size of the cup or the fake plastic that makes them want to turn it into a queen? Or did the Chinese or whoever made those plastic cups did they spray a little special pheromone in there? Can I make my own cups can I 3D print them or just use like acorn seed cups or something, maybe rubber sewing thimbles? Do you need to douse them in something or spray some sort of smell in there?