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Author Topic: "finisher" tore down started Q-cells  (Read 2997 times)

Offline yes2matt

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"finisher" tore down started Q-cells
« on: June 02, 2019, 08:27:42 am »
I helped a friend do a cut-out, they had been in this barn for ~5 years, unmanaged, vigorous and healthy. So I wanted to graft from that stock. We saved some brood comb and when I got home in the afternoon I did kindof a rush job of setting up a starter hive. Then I grafted a half a frame (8-10) of young larvae out of one of those combs.

So they took ok, about 50%, which I thought was pretty good for being a rush job and I didn't have nurse bees on the combs in transit.   So at about 36 hours I took that frame out of the starter, because I wanted to do another batch out of the combs that had eggs and I had put in a healthy hive to hatch and feed the new larvae. I put the cell bar frame in the middle of the brood nest of a healthy swarm colony in a single 10-deep. The "finisher" colony is Q+.

Yesterday was the day to make mating nucs, so I went into that colony to check the cells, how many nucs I need to make up. Well, none. The bees had torn down every single started cell and cleaned out all the cups. https://photos.app.goo.gl/MpgKfc7unPjQe1Q38

Did I miss something? I thought: Q- cell starter, Q+ cell finisher, Q- mating nucs. 

Offline BeeMaster2

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Re: "finisher" tore down started Q-cells
« Reply #1 on: June 02, 2019, 09:52:21 am »
Did you make sure the queen was below the queen excluder before you put the grafts in it?
Jim Altmiller
Democracy is 2 wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote.
Ben Franklin

Offline yes2matt

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Re: "finisher" tore down started Q-cells
« Reply #2 on: June 02, 2019, 12:11:58 pm »
Did you make sure the queen was below the queen excluder before you put the grafts in it?
Jim Altmiller
No, it was just a single box. I thought the QX was just insurance in case they didn't get moved into mating nucs in time. Does tge finisher need to be two stories with a QX between?

Offline herbhome

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Re: "finisher" tore down started Q-cells
« Reply #3 on: June 02, 2019, 07:42:15 pm »
Did you make sure the queen was below the queen excluder before you put the grafts in it?
Jim Altmiller
No, it was just a single box. I thought the QX was just insurance in case they didn't get moved into mating nucs in time. Does tge finisher need to be two stories with a QX between?

Yes
Neill

Offline BeeMaster2

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Re: "finisher" tore down started Q-cells
« Reply #4 on: June 02, 2019, 09:26:31 pm »
 I thought I answered this earlier. As Herb said, yes.
Na
Democracy is 2 wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote.
Ben Franklin

Offline Michael Bush

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Re: "finisher" tore down started Q-cells
« Reply #5 on: June 03, 2019, 11:20:56 am »
I try to have a box between the queen excluder and the queen cells.  Also you may have had a stray queen cell above the excluder that you didn't see (they are often hiding very well) and the virgin may have killed all your queens.
My website:  bushfarms.com/bees.htm en espanol: bushfarms.com/es_bees.htm  auf deutsche: bushfarms.com/de_bees.htm  em portugues:  bushfarms.com/pt_bees.htm
My book:  ThePracticalBeekeeper.com
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"Everything works if you let it."--James "Big Boy" Medlin

Offline yes2matt

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Re: "finisher" tore down started Q-cells
« Reply #6 on: June 03, 2019, 09:52:33 pm »
By the time I retire, I will have made every possible mistake. At least that is my goal, and I'm on track.  I did do a second batch, and got lucky the bees left me two capped. So into mating nucs!

Saturday, M (10yo) grafted a couple rows and we started them, it looks like 7/14 took. Which I will buy from her for $2 ea  :)  it's exploitation! 

Offline Michael Bush

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Re: "finisher" tore down started Q-cells
« Reply #7 on: June 04, 2019, 08:42:37 am »
Wait until she is getting 20 out of 20...
My website:  bushfarms.com/bees.htm en espanol: bushfarms.com/es_bees.htm  auf deutsche: bushfarms.com/de_bees.htm  em portugues:  bushfarms.com/pt_bees.htm
My book:  ThePracticalBeekeeper.com
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Offline BeeMaster2

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Re: "finisher" tore down started Q-cells
« Reply #8 on: June 04, 2019, 09:55:34 am »
Matt,
Sounds like you may need another job just to pay for the queens. 😄
Jim Altmiller
Democracy is 2 wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote.
Ben Franklin

Offline yes2matt

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Re: "finisher" tore down started Q-cells
« Reply #9 on: June 04, 2019, 09:38:06 pm »
Matt,
Sounds like you may need another job just to pay for the queens. 😄
Jim Altmiller
I'm going to try to offer overwintered nucs in February and March: "treatment free," natural-drawn comb, (not this batch but usually) nectar-raised, post-solstice Qs. One nuc sale will cover my grafting bill.  :)

Offline BeeMaster2

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Re: "finisher" tore down started Q-cells
« Reply #10 on: June 05, 2019, 08:15:16 am »
I hope it works out for you.
Jim Altmiller
Democracy is 2 wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote.
Ben Franklin

 

anything