Welcome, Guest

Author Topic: Cell Starter/ Finisher  (Read 2404 times)

Offline Cuttingedge

  • New Bee
  • *
  • Posts: 18
Cell Starter/ Finisher
« on: May 12, 2018, 11:21:34 pm »
So in an attempt to try something new, I set-up a cell starter in a 5 frame nuc today.
I added a graft frame with cups to be polished (15) If I were to graft into that frame tomorrow, could I place it back into the starter and leave it there until I am ready to transfer cells to mating nucs or do I need to add it to a separate finisher? Thanks

Offline iddee

  • Universal Bee
  • *******
  • Posts: 10853
  • Gender: Male
Re: Cell Starter/ Finisher
« Reply #1 on: May 13, 2018, 08:17:54 am »
Either way works fine. After 5 days, when they are capped, I like to cover them with cell cages to keep them from building excess comb on the cells.
"Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me . . . Anything can happen, child. Anything can be"

*Shel Silverstein*

Offline little john

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 1537
Re: Cell Starter/ Finisher
« Reply #2 on: May 13, 2018, 02:37:31 pm »
If you leave the grafted cell bar frame in the nuc box, then what you're effectively running is a 'Joseph Clemens' Queenless Starter-Finisher - which is a scaled-down version of the rig which Laidlaw used - and which works extremely well providing there are sufficient bees in the nuc box to feed the number of q/cells being raised.
Don't forget to check any brood frames in the nuc box for rogue q/cells having been started - you'll need to remove them, else they probably won't work with your grafts.
LJ
A Heretics Guide to Beekeeping - http://heretics-guide.atwebpages.com

Offline Cuttingedge

  • New Bee
  • *
  • Posts: 18
Re: Cell Starter/ Finisher
« Reply #3 on: May 13, 2018, 04:12:06 pm »
If you leave the grafted cell bar frame in the nuc box, then what you're effectively running is a 'Joseph Clemens' Queenless Starter-Finisher - which is a scaled-down version of the rig which Laidlaw used - and which works extremely well providing there are sufficient bees in the nuc box to feed the number of q/cells being raised.
Don't forget to check any brood frames in the nuc box for rogue q/cells having been started - you'll need to remove them, else they probably won't work with your grafts.
LJ

Thanks, I checked the frames for rogue cells/
Cups and didn?t find anything. I ended up adding the graft frame back into the starter and putting it back into my basement with some wet sponges. I will
Pull it out tomorrow and open up one of the disk entrances so that they can fly.

 

anything