What?s the earliest y?all pull cells from starter? I?ve built an incubator. I also have a hive that?s ready for a big split. I have cell protectors. I grafted Thursday.
Day 4/5 from egg, the tiniest larvae you can see and scoop.
- Graft and place cups in a stuffed QL cell starter
Day 6/7 from egg
- move from QL cell starter to QR cell finisher.
(cells are started, cups are filled with jelly and cells rims are 10-30% drawn. Move to finisher. A great finisher is the centre of 3rd box above queen excluder on a strong queenrite hive.)
- cells could be left in the starter to be finished, but there is a high likelihood that the starter will cut back (remove) the number of cells they had started. They will not finish them all.
Day 10 from egg
- move from finisher to incubator
(Cells are capped on day 9, move to incubator the day after capping is observed. The very best incubator available is meticulously designed, precision controlled, and is supplied by the world renowned experts in queen rearing. It is .. .. .. .. a beehive. Place capped cells in a slightly off centre position in the 3rd box above a queen excluder on a strong queenrite hive)
Days 11 thru 14 from egg (critical period)
- DO NOT DISTURB, DO NOT MOVE, DO NOT LOOKEELOO.
Day 14/15 from egg
- cage cells with honey/pollen in the cage with 5 attendants. OR place into nucs.
Days 15 thru 17 from egg
- Cells are emerging.
Day 18/19 from egg
- Check out the beauties in the nucs. Cull the feable, tiny, deformed
- if cells were caged; - count the number of bees in the cage. If 5 the cell is a dud, pinch and discard. If 6 in the cage, one of them is the new queen, check her for health and vitality.
Day 20 thru 30 from egg
- stay out. Leave undisturbed to mate and start laying
- if caged, replenish honey/pollen to cage at 4 day intervals.
Day 32-36 from egg
- cull whatever is not laying. Requeen with caged VQ or Shake out or combine failed nucs/splits.
Day 38+ from egg
- cull/pinch/toss any caged VQs not used.
Hope that helps!