Heat waves! Trying to delay the inevitable

[beepro]

Hi, All!


It has been awhile since I update on my 5 level deep nuc QC process.   On this Friday I finally made the decision to put the 9 cap QCs into my
homemade small fridge incubator.   I have 2 digital temperature sensors, one hygrometer and 1 regular mercury temperature reading in there.

Because there is a heat wave this week with triple digit temperature, I don't want to make mating nucs ahead of time risk of cooking the
cap broods and QCs.    With 9 cap cells from my last cell grafts, many turn into queen pupae already.   I grafted last Friday so they should be emerging on this
Sunday at the latest.   

So, using my incubator is the only option of trying to delay their emergence, at least until this heat wave is decrease by this Wednesday.  I'm able to program the
digital temp. controller down between 91.2 and 91.4F for these QCs.   The hygrometer reading is at constant 53% with adjustment.   Usually when incubating these QCs they require a constant temp. of 94F.   Since I want to delay their emergence I have no choice but to bring down the temp. to 91F hoping that this will delay their emergence.  A higher temp will speed up their emergence where as a lower temp. will slow down their emergence.   Since I have no prior experience with a lower QC temp., my question is will they emergence by this Weds incubating at 91F?   

Can you see?   http://imgbox.com/NtTeHxEC

[TheHoneyPump]

I doubt anyone can answer which day they will emerge.
Can only share experience. At lower temperature (-5) the pupa stage is definitely slowed and they are fine. At higher temperature (+5) the pupa is killed.
You are wise to pull them and protect them from the heat wave.  However it is a real gamble to guess as to when they will actually emerge in the incubator.  It would be wise to cage protect the cells from each other.  Such as the hair roller cages.  This buys you up to 4 days after they emerge to get them into nucs under better weather conditions.

Quite the contrast.  You are worried about them getting too hot.  I am worried about them getting too cold, just 52 degrees F here a couple days ago. 

PS:  the incubator in the picture in the link looks suspiciously very much like a multi tray food dehydrator. ;)

[beepro]

You got that right.  It is a Ranco food dehydrator.  I took the heating element out and
installed it at the top of the fridge.  Then put all the controllers and sensors in to monitor it.  The clear trays I put QCs in them inside the small 1.5" glass jars.  The small jars are free, I got 1000s of them, so that I don't have to use the roller cages. When not using it as an incubator I put plant cuttings in there with the fans on only to propagate them.  Right now red passion fruit cuttings and lime leaves cuttings are in there.

All QCs are out in to their mating nucs as of last Sat.  Two died, one Cordovan because I've not been monitoring it.  Then one died because it was too small.  Six got in to their mating nucs, o.k.   At 91.4F, this did not stop them from emerging after 7 days post cap.  So this little cell experiment is a failed attempt.  I did learn something for next time though.  And buy me some time to finish those mating nucs just in time for the emerged queens.    Sept. will be my next graft from my #1 Cordovan queen!

[Van, Arkansas, USA]

Beepro, good evening.  Your bees will keep the queen cells cool.  The bees will strategily place water droplets on the parts of the brood that need cooling, fan their wings to cause evaporation which is a cooling process.

Now if you are talking 115F, then I would have to question if the bees can keep up with that kind of heat.  Not saying the bees can?t, I am saying I don?t know at that range.

Arkansas suffered 115F in 2012, my bees did fine.

[beepro]

Van, you got that right.  The bees can keep the hive cool without killing the QCs.   I just want to try
out the incubator again with some calibration for the next batch of QCs.   Using an incubator will free up
some bee resources turning them into mating nucs.   This way I can keep the best quality queens that emerged from the
incubator.  I'm selecting for color, size and general health of the queens.   Then drop them into mating nucs that will be
their hive after they're mated.