Finishing Queen Cells In An Incubator... JC's Queen Rearing Series
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ก.ค. 2024
- Ever thought about using an incubator to finish your capped queen cells (queen rearing)? Learn how and when along with all the other details in this video. I show all the steps from transferring capped queen cells to caging newly emerged queens.
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very informative, very well explained thank you
You are welcome!
Another nice video Jason!
Couple of things I’ve found is :
Moving capped cells on day 5 is ok but I can’t stress enough the point that you say, be swift, quick and efficient! Those cells are so delicate and vulnerable to the cold. I only now move my cells if it’s really warm and if there is no wind! It does make a difference!
Particularly like the point that using the incubator does free up your finisher. For me, so I can get the next load of cells in!
It’s all about carefully juggling everything. I’ve never looked back after buying my third one! Spend some money this year to give me lots of capacity. I completely agree about having that queen hatch, knowing she’s really good, alive, strong and well formed and above all, you have more time to introduce her and get your nucs hopelessly queenless before you let yet queen out!
Well done!
So when do you move them to the incubator Richard?7th day?
You guys are both great. I watch you both with great enthusiasm. I think it might be important to stress that you shouldn't try this without a sufficient number of colonies to draw resources from I'm not there yet but when I do finally get there watch me explode and it will be in very large part because of you guys thank you both.
Hello from Australia.
Iv'e had my bees for many years, and i breed queens etc......but i still like to view other people's tips and ways of doing things, just to make the hobby more enjoyable. Yes, having an incubator is a real time saver, and no mucking around with the bees outside. My incubator sits on my computer desk, so i can see them everyday whilst on the net. Thanks Jason.
I did the same with a home built incubator using reptile heat tape and a temperature control in a plastic container. Cost less than $20. Works good.
Great demonstration, so good of you to share.
Very helpful. 👍
Awesome!
Yep packed with lots of good info. Thanks for sharing
Great job Jason, thanks for the video
Love your series!! Super educational and I can't wait to do this. Thank you for taking the time to put this together to help fellow beeks!
Your videos are great.. You explain things so will, this is my first year experiencing with Queen Rearing, I've learned a lot from watching your videos. I love the idea in using the chicken incubator ,, I have one,, I never thought of that.
Glad you enjoyed it! I try to make things easy to understand, glad it's working! Best of luck raising queens!
Great video Jason. I had great luck with my incubator. Makes having a full time job and a full time hobby more manageable.
Glad you enjoyed it, David. Your right it is surely a huge time saver. I don't see me ever doing it the hard way again. lol
Nice
Great series! Learned a lot. Thanks for making the effort.👍👍👍
Well done JC. Easy to follow and understand instructions. I plan on giving this a try next spring/summer.
Best of luck!
enjoyed that video. Thanks for taking the time to help out other bee keepers.
Hey thanks Jason, this looks like the way to go. It makes every bit of sense to have control of the process and inside the home so you can monitor each day and never forget about when other things get you distracted. I'm going to try this for sure
Perhaps consider a follow up part two video of introducing the virgin queens to hives, and any tips. Is introducing virgin queens any different to mated? One day I was harvesting swarm cells, a queen hatched in my hand and I had a 2 capped frame brood split made in 5 frame box and just threw her in the box and shut it, it worked out so I got a bit of a lesson, it was late spring with a flow on so timing was perfect with perfect conditions.
Efficient economical practical thanks Jason.
Like I've said, I'm not ready to be doing this any time soon but I sure intend on at least trying it eventually. Great series, and a wonderful job of taking some of the "mystery" or fear out of the process.
Μεταφραση.στα.ελινικα
I use the exact same incubator for 2 years now set at 93.just grafted Sunday will be moving to the incubator probably next Monday or Tuesday.
Great video
Sorry Jason I didn’t read the comments as far as I should have. Love your channel. Thanks for all the tips
Thank you so much for sharing! I am just starting to graft and appreciate all the information.
Again, I say thanks for taking the time to share! Great series, Awesome!!
very cool. Thanks for the video. I am hoping to start rearing queens this year.
Thanks for sharing Jason love it!
Works like a charm so if you haven;t tried an incubator you should.
Fantastic jason how interesting & educational cheers Keith 😎😷😊
Glad you enjoyed it!
Very good video..... Thanks for posting.......
Thank you very much for everything you do for the you tube community. I enjoy your videos because you speak to the newbees and the experienced beekeepers alike. Thanks for taking the time to explain things to me. I have just bought the nicot system to try out.
I try to separate myself from all the other beekeeping channels with clear easy to understand videos. I figure if I can do that then my channel will continue to grow. 🙂Thanks for letting me know you appreciate them, it means a lot!
Hey Jason. I like your videos, especially the queen rearing series. I was intrigued about the concept of drone colonies as they pertain to mating virgin queens. I would think that would be a great video topic if you could expand on that. Thanks man!
Thanks Alan, I am glad you enjoy them. I like your drone video suggestion. I just added it to the list of things to speak about. Stay Tuned!!
I really appreciate you video, and the info you shared.
I appreciate you letting me know you appreciate the videos. Thanks!
Awesome video Jason. I look forward to using mine when I'm ready.
I've been waiting to hear that you seen this video, I know you have been waiting for it. Have fun and good luck!
Thank you concise and very helpful. X
Glad it was helpful!
Dirt rooster sent me over ... I have subscribed ... Good Luck ...
Génial la vidéo ! Merci pour ce que vous faites 👍
Keep these great videos coming!! Thanks for taking time to make them.
Glad your enjoying them!
Chris, you are the man. Thanks a lot for this video.
Very good video Jason, thanks, I learn a lot from your channel 😊
Brilliant video and thank you :)
Good day Jason.
I think I liked the idea of using the chicken incubator developing the queens,
Could you send me a Good brand please?
Hi JC, an experienced queen breeder in my club adds some fondant on the bottom of the hair roller, just a peanut size, so that the queen has something to eat when she is born, until the time she is taken care of. Just my 2 cents. Thanks.
Great idea! I am always looking for ways to improve my setup so thanks for sharing.
I used the little styrofoam incubator last year with swarm cells. I drilled holes like you did but all the way through a 2x4 with screen on the bottom and put a dab of honey on the screen instead of transferring to roller cages until they emerged.
mangusbees
Great, you are a good teacher.
Thank you very much!
Glad you think so! Thanks!
Great video. Thanks.
Looks great and I’m doing it now thanks
Awesome! Best of luck!!
Love you videos, thank you.
Awesome! So, glad to hear you are enjoying them.
Thank you Jason, This is extremely helpful and encouraging...
It's quite fun too! Best of luck.
👍🏻 I can see where it it is exciting. I am going to tractor supply today!!
+Phillip Hall I got a good chuckle from your comment. Have fun and keep us posted how it goes for you.
😊😁 I will do that Jason ... have a great day!!
Very good video, I am going to try that this year thanks for the information
A power inverter would allow you to bring the incubator in the truck with the
power coming from the cigar lighter converted to 110v ac. Since I find ac
power in the truck so convenient, I buy a inverter large enough to run power
tools.
I have considered buying a power invertor but really it's not needed for me. This is why I setup my nuc yard just feet from my house, so I could work at home. I am consider building a incubator though with a nice viewing window.
Hi Jason, Liked the video and always like your video ideas. I only keep a few colonies so I have never tried raising Queens. I have made a few spits some years, but this doesn't always assure a new queen. So when I need them I will purchase them. Rick in Pa.
Pretty cool
I used my chicken incubator for the first time last week, but with cut out queen cell from a frame, and both cells emerged. Wohoo, I am so happy it worked, I needed the queens for 2 hives that did not take the mated queens or something bad happened.
Never gave it much thought about being able to finish cut out cell, pretty cool. Congrats on the new queens!
Hi JC thank you for another excellent video. It's amazing to see your queen finisher. So you say ideal temperature is from 93 to 95 F. Do we have to ensure any relative humidity to prevent queen cells from getting dry or do we leave a wetted piece of cloth to keep some humidity. I won't be up to the level of queen rearing for at least a year although making and designing a heater would be easy for me so at the moment all this information is good to know. Secondly did you graft the queen cups or get the mother queen to lay in the cups. You are good at grafting the cells from other videos so please keep on sharing your experience with us and congrats on parenting those lovely new queen's.
awesome,thank you ,i need a incubator
I watched all of this set thanks for the video very helpful
Thanks Bob!
Excellent I'm very interested
Jason what brand are the hair roller an where did you get them . I do not think I have saw those before. Thanks for ALL your information. THANKS
I think mine are made by Nicot but there is several manufactures making them now. You have to watch because some are just plain junk. They are very thin and all the parts don't snap together right. I'd look for the Nicot brand and get all the parts together.
I am glad to see your going through some of my older stuff and queen rearing at that. You go girl!!! Someone's bees yard is about to grow..... a lot!
If you have anymore ? about queen rearing just throw them at me, I'd love to help!
Jason, great video! Thank you for posting it. I have a question, I just started grafting this year, out of 30 grafts 15 got capped and 12 emerged in their nucks. In your experience does the nuck or the incubator do a better job at hatching the queens, what’s the difference in average numbers.
GREAT VIDEO...I am very interested in raising my queens next year. I may have lots of question when Spring comes. Enjoy your videos
Yup I use a small 6 egg incubator with a coffee can over it and it works really well. I have a 48 egg incubator if I ever get more than a hand full of cages.
Great information JC . I watched the series many times and every time I watch I get to know more details . I have one question on the queen cell block you shown to transfer the queen cell. Can you please post the diameter and depth of the holes . I would like to make couple of them for this upcoming season
Thanks
Thanks good video
You’re a handy fella! I haven’t used them yet but i modified my JZBZ cups to use a roller cage by utilizing those cell protectors. I put a bead of duct tape around the protector and the roller cage fits on there nicely. Your way is better though!
I think jzbz needs to get on the ball and make cages they fit their cell cups. As many people that like the jzbz cups, I'm sure they would also use any cages they would make but they don't seem to be worried about making any. For this reason, last week I grafted into nicot cups for the first time in my life.
I bought a really nice second hand incubator last year. It's good at collecting dust. lol Haven't gotten around to using it yet.
Go ahead and ship it to Ohio and I will put it to use next week. 😉
Oh you'd love it. It's got digital controls and a humidity kit... all the options. A friend has used it for chickens but I've never even personally plugged it in.
DirtRooster... Says what it says on the Tin... Raise some 🐣🐣🐣🐣🐣🐣🐣🐣🐣🐣
Better to get 🐔than 🐓...
Sorry DirtRooster. 🤭
Keep doing the day job, .....
aka Bees n Videos on YT, for us Beek Video addicts !
Happy Beekeeping 2021.
🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝
I have to say I raise ...
"Bees & Birds"...
Or I get funny odd Looks. 👀
If I say the 'birds and the bees'... 🥰
Thanks sir🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
i dont use the nicot system i graft my own but i do use the nicot cup holder and cages. I dip the cup holders in wax and graft directly into the cup holder and attach to grafting frames with wax so i can pop them off when im ready to put into nucs. Works good for me no reason to buy or make cups. Ive been using them along with incubators for quite some time now and to me those are the best to use. Good video too
That a good idea, it sure would have saved me from cutting mine down. I will keep that in mind next time.
Great video Jason
How long can you leave the queens in the hair roller cages before installing to a bank or nuc?
Great videos Jason, keep em coming!! What is your acceptance rate of placing virgin queens in splits from the incubator vs. placing queen cells between frames?? Thanks
You might not want to drop the cell into the Nicot cage so hard. Sharp impact can damage the developing queen pupa.
I completely agree with you on the use of an incubator for sealed cells. I have used one for many years and it suits me perfectly. A newly emerged virgin moves quite slowly so she is quite easy to pick up by the thorax to transfer to a new cage, or whatever you need to do. I mark mine with numbered plastic discs so I can track them throughout their entire life
Thanks for the tip, I knew that but sometimes I get in a rush.
I have a bunch of the queen marking disc, any tips to putting them on? Do you use the glue that comes with them?
@@JCsBees I use the numbered disks as a link back to my stock-book so I can trace the mating and ancestry of each queen for evaluation and breeding purposes. This is beyond the needs of most beekeepers so I'd recommend that you "stick" with the standard glue that comes with the disks.
There are other glues, ranging from superglue gel to a glue based on the swim-bladders of fish that musicians use in stringed-instrument manufacture. They all seem to come with a down-side though. You have to be ultra-careful with superglue so it doesn't touch anywhere except the thorax. If it touches the wings of a virgin, she'll never fly to mate. Also, if you get any on the foot pads, she'll be useless too. I've not used the fish glue but I understand that it smells quite strong. I'm not sure if this is enough to cause supersedure.
I know the standard glue can sometimes fail and the disk can fall off but you could always clip up to 1/3
of a fore-wing as a confirmation that it is the same queen if it is important to you.
@@JCsBees If you are using an incubator, you will have access to the queen within the first few hours of emergence. They usually move slowly during this period and are easily handled.
I hold the queen by the thorax and apply the numbered disk. You might find this clip useful (th-cam.com/video/kyzAS5eZ2xA/w-d-xo.html ).
Mr joson nice
Hi Jason…Hoping you ‘re still replying to comments on this 2018 video.
According to the manufacturer’s video the incubator you’re using comes with temperature and humidity controls. Why the external temperature and humidity probe?
Thanks!
Hello. Because I don't trust relying on one device. You can take to thermometer of different brands and get two different reading. When it come to raising queens I want to be sure the temp & humidity are in range.
Great video! What is the proper humidity for queens to be incubated in?
nice video jason
Have you tried direct releasing virgin queens? Works every time. I have a couple videos of me directly releasing virgins into queenlesd hives. Great video!
I have a few times and the results vary.
That's so cool
Hey Jason just finished watching all your queen rearing videos and I have found them most helpful. My question is how many colonies do you need to set up a queen rearing process? I have 4 colonies at the moment and if they make it through winter I am going to try and grow to 10 next spring.
If I wasn't allergic to them I would one day the heavenly father will bless me with a bee hive that I can extract from without any stings would bee great
When I saw the cages lined up on the wood strip my first thought was if the queen cells were lined up precisely then the strip with queen cells could be removed from the frame and just placed on top of the cages putting 9 cells in nine cages quickly 9 at a time
Very true, I would just need to put a little more time in setup the bars so they are spaced correctly. Thanks for sharing the idea.
Thanks for sharing. I'm going to graft this year and trying to figure if i use an incubator or a finisher.
Nice. I think everyone should start with a finisher then start experimenting with an incubator. Why spend the $$ on a incubator to find out queen rearing is hard and not working. It takes lots of practice to get queen rearing just right. Don't give up and good luck!
@@JCsBees Thanks Jason. My mom has i think the same tractor supply incubator as she used to have chickens so no money spent.
That's great! I hope all goes well and remember practice, practice then practice more and before you know it you'll have more queens than you know what to do with.
Hi Jason,
Do you “thin” the tip of the queen cell to allow her to emerge easier? Or do you just put the cell into the incubator & let her work her way out?
Hello,
I let the queens do all the work.
When transporting in a small cooler with warm water bottles, did you need to do anything for humidity?
I did not but I didn't have to go long distances. If your concerned maybe add a damp cloth. Good luck!
Love it, I have 2 incubators, mine are the high dollar ones with a fan so do I need to disable that? Hova bators are about 200 each with turner but mine paid for themselves years ago hatching guinea foul.
Just bought an incubator and planning on moving capped cells into it today. How do you control humidity? Since you release the virgin queens manually, why do you transfer them into a California cage? Do you release them immediately or give the hive a chance to accept her (in the cage) before releasing? Really enjoy the videos. Thanks for taking time to pass on your experiences and knowledge.
So far the humidity has not been an issue and it's stay right around 55% without adding water. I like the Cali. cage better for introducing, plus like I mentioned in the video, it fit better between frames. I usually left the virgin caged for 5-6 hour or even overnight before she is released.
I'm glad everyone is enjoy the videos and can see the work I put into them. Thanks!
When attempting to hatch the queen cell's in the incubator what range do you try and keep your humidity at?
Excellent Jason - great videos for folk like me who would like to try and move beyond a hobby level. A quick question - how long can the queens stay in the incubator before you move them into a queenless colony?
1 more thing wit the incubator youre using that temperature sometimes flucturates a good bit and i learned to put pennies on all those small holes along te top and bottom and then slide them out of the way until the temp is figured out then can just keep so many of those holes covered. I also took a fan out of a old computer tower and hooked to an ac adapter to circulate the air. A lot cheaper then buying the 1 with fan. Just whats worked for me
My incubator came with plugs for the holes but it is a good idea to keep and eye on the temp to make sure it's not hopping around. I like to set it up 24 hours ahead of time just for this reason. I like the idea of using pennies if you do not have plugs.
Mine came with the 2 plugs for the big holes but all those small holes running along te top and bottom is where i use pennies. Maybe mines a little different bought it 4 years ago. I couldnt get the temp stable in mine until i did that. I raise game chickens too and half the eggs wouldnt hatch. I just probably got a crappy 1. I set mine up the day before also. Seems like you have yours figured out pretty good though nice job
Feed and water 💦
How often do you need to feed and water the queens in the incubator?
Once the queens emerge I try not to keep them in my control if the weather permits. Bees can feed & water much better than we can. When I do have to feed, I just smear honey on the queen cage for her to eat then I use a syringe to add a drop of water once a day.
Im glad you make these videos. This is my exact situation. Going to be starting queens next week and just got a chicken egg incubator from tractor supply coincidentally. You answered all of my questions about using the egg incubator for queens. Thanks, all of you videos are really helpful. Do you make queens throughout the season? How do you keep a surplus? Im in central illinois so im in a similar climate as you in Ohio.
I graft into the Nicot queen cup and never remove it from the cup holder, clean it out with a shaved down lollypop stick and reuse it for ever..
Interesting video from five years ago.
What was in the syringe?
Honey
Thanks Jason...good info as usual.
How long max before transferring to queen cages? I noted you fed them with a syringe of honey on the screen.....
I like to act pretty quick after they have emerged. What I have been doing is making the splits right after transferring them to Cali. cage. Meanwhile the queens go back in the incubator. I leave the split queen-less for roughly 6 hours then add virgins in their cages. I have noticed 6 hours to be enough time for them to accept the queen. Then I wait until the next morning to release them. I don't want to leave them in the incubator too long. I am not sure how long "too long" is though. Maybe a day?
Hey Jason, when do you mark the queens in the process of rearing? Can they be marked when emerged?
I always wait until they are mated because I've heard stories of the dot causing issues. It's like the drones are scared of the dot, like that's what kill them. 😆
@@JCsBees I thought so as well, but on the contrary one would think they have a homing dot, or bullseye, for drones’ better aim :)
Thank you for your kind reply!
Excellent, thank you. Have you noticed any difference in acceptance percentage between queens hatched on banking colonies as opposed to incubator queens?
Honestly, since having the incubator I haven't let a colony finish my cells for a few years so I don't have anything to compare. The incubator saves me a ton of extra work and since I am also in calving season when queen rearing starts, I'll take all the help I can get.
@Jason Chrisman Bees (JC's Bees) , that means that it works at least the same if you haven't noticed a difference or a loss. Thank you.
Dirt rooster sent me over ,,,, Good luck Jason
Do you put the jzbz cup and cell and put directly into the California queen cage now ? Instead of the hair roller cage??
I’d like to try this method!
Did you add any water to the incubator for humidity or no water?
I do not add water and have good success!
Thank you! Love your channel and thorough step by step tutorials. Your content is very helpful.
Would adding two attendant bees to the hair curler cages with capped queen cell make feeding her easier?
It may help but I am not sure. I've gotten quite comfortable not using any attendants and have tried any other approach.
Just wondering, can you not leave the grafting frame in the starter cell until it’s capped then move them to incubators?
You can but the results could be much less than expected. Fewer queens!
Jason, I have hatched queens exactly the way you have. I have placed mine immediately but I only have a need for a few queens. How long do you think you can keep the queen in the cage with honey before adding her to a queenless mating Nuc or queenless hive? Or give her away? You have to have a lot of resources to place all these cages in a nurse bee hive. Thanks, Mike
What was the syringe used for? Did you mark the queen with that in the California cage or something else?
Thanks for sharing this practical setup. I have an egg incubator and BBQ Temp probe. I’m looking forward to Spring already 😀. Is humidity level critical in the incubator?
The humidity has always stayed around 50% and the cells have done great. Best of luck!
Jason Chrisman wow, thanks for taking the time to answer my question! Appreciate the info.
This video is amazing
Thank ya!
Do you need to feed the hatched queens in the little giant or can you wait until all of them hatch or the ones that will