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Author Topic: When is it safe to return brood to the cell builder?  (Read 2947 times)

Offline TwoHoneys

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When is it safe to return brood to the cell builder?
« on: May 22, 2013, 02:47:42 pm »
Today I began queen rearing. :)

In order to increase bee density in the cell-building hive, I removed every brood-containing frame and divided those frames among other hives for safe keeping.

The cell-building bees are now dense, queenless, and are prepping my cell cups...tomorrow I graft larva and place them in the cell builder.

I removed all the brood because I wanted all the resources in the cell-builder to go toward rearing queens rather than toward rearing brood. But eventually I need to return most of that brood, yes?

So...my question: When can I return the brood (that I distributed among my other hives) to the cell builder?

-Liz


"In a dream I returned to the river of bees" W.S. Merwin

Offline don2

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Re: When is it safe to return brood to the cell builder?
« Reply #1 on: May 22, 2013, 06:38:41 pm »
You could have removed the Queen with only two frames of brood. added a frame of honey/pollen, a frame with foundation or drawn comb. Give the parent hive 8 or 9 days then check it to make sure it didn't have queen cells, if so take them out. But that would have been another way to get a few queen cells to begin with. Unless you are choosing the grafting method over the other.

Some of the brood you moved will be hatched by that time.
After you transfer the queen cells to where ever you are putting them you could return the frames. :) d2

Offline beek1951

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Re: When is it safe to return brood to the cell builder?
« Reply #2 on: May 26, 2013, 12:28:58 am »
It is my experience that queen cells must be in close proximity to heavy capped brood in order
for the nurse bees to care for the cells. I never remove brood from my cell builder and never
graft cells into frames unless they are surrounded by capped brood.

Online Michael Bush

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Re: When is it safe to return brood to the cell builder?
« Reply #3 on: May 28, 2013, 02:30:39 pm »
The only time I would remove all the open brood is in a "swarm box" or starter hive, which is a small box of confined nurse bees:
http://bushfarms.com/beesbetterqueens.htm#The%20Starter%20Hive
http://bushfarms.com/beesqueenrearingsimplified.htm#TheSwarmBox

And these should be combined with a finisher within 24 hours (at least 48 hours).

Otherwise I would not be removing brood from a starter... I would be putting the cells next to open brood so the nurse bees find them.
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