BBKA Forum

British Beekeepers Association Official Forum 

  • Apidea

  • Beginners forum, ask beekeeping related questions and get help from other experienced beekeepers. Please use the Search Feature please to avoid duplicated threads
Beginners forum, ask beekeeping related questions and get help from other experienced beekeepers. Please use the Search Feature please to avoid duplicated threads
 #3995  by Patrick
 08 Jul 2019, 17:21
I would not put a queen cell into anywhere without foil / sellotape / insulating tape protection.

Workers sometimes have a funny moment and tear cells down for little obvious reason - either to then raise inferior emergency cells from whatever materials are available to them, or render themselves hopelessly queenless - which of course us text book readers know they would never do. they might break down one of the unprotected cells anyway, knowing being much reduced in numbers they don't need multiple cells

Or being thus protected, one or both cells may hatch and the virgin queens fight it out.

Personally i would like a little simpler world and just put a reasonable foil covered single cell (with the tip of the foil open at the tip of the cell end) and leave them to it..
 #4150  by Japey Edge
 18 Jul 2019, 23:03
This is how my cheapo mating hive is coming on. Queen laying pattern is nice and she's giving it a good go:

Image

Image
 #4163  by Alfred
 19 Jul 2019, 14:21
Those pics are good.
My cheapo failed with a hatched QC,one stabbed one and nothing else inside.
The Apidea however is occupied with pheromone-fanning workers under the CB.
They've drawn the starter strip but gone no further.
They've eaten half the fondant in the store
I'm not digging any further in case there was some success.
 #4174  by Japey Edge
 20 Jul 2019, 08:02
Cheers Alfred,

I've got my second mating hive ready for population, but no QCs being made in my apiary at the moment.

I may just wait until next year...