Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => REQUEENING & RAISING NEW QUEENS => Topic started by: capt44 on April 18, 2013, 12:47:18 pm

Title: Queen Rearing using the Cloake Board Method.
Post by: capt44 on April 18, 2013, 12:47:18 pm

You can build a cloake board to your specific hive deminsions 8 or 10 frame.
I built my cloake board from Pictures I've seen.
Just build a frame, I used 3/4 inch strips and glued and brad nailed them.
I attached a plastic queen excluder to the bottom and had to put another 1/2 inch strip under it to keep it flat in the front opening.
I put a piece of flat metal sheeting (10 guage) in opening to close off the queen excluder.
I tore the hive down and turned the opening 180 degrees or facing west.
I put the deep brood box with the queen on the bottom.
I then put the cloake board on with the opening facing east.
The bees left the bottom box and returned to the east side of the box.
They found the opening above and entered the top section which is  2 medium boxes.
I grafted larva from my timing box so I knew the larva was 1 day old.
I put the queen cell bars in the box right above the cloake board.
I also used a queen cell frame from a Nicot system to see how it worked.
After I put the second queen cell bar in I pulled the 1st one.
The bees were already clustering on the cell cups.
The next day the cells were starting to be drawn out so I removed the metal sheet opening the queen excluder.
I check yesterday and the cells are about an inch or so long.
They should be capped Saturday.
I just hope this cool weather we're suppose to have for the next 2 nights doesn't chill them.
I'll post some pictures in a couple of days.
The Nicot system does work!
The Timing Box Plans I got from Fat Beeman
Queen Rearing is strictly a timing issue.
I use a Queen Rearing Calendar to keep up with what is happening on each set of queen bars.

Title: Re: Queen Rearing using the Cloake Board Method.
Post by: RHBee on April 18, 2013, 05:48:14 pm

Sounds like you did good.  I'm in the process of building up my qeeen mother hive. The queens for my drone mother colonies just arrived. I have to work for the next 3 days so I'm keeping the new queens in the house till I'm off.
How do you plan to bank your queens?

Title: Re: Queen Rearing using the Cloake Board Method.
Post by: capt44 on April 19, 2013, 01:27:33 am

I am going to be putting them in Nucs to mate.
Then in 10 days I should see eggs and what kind of pattern she's got.
If it shows good after 14 days the Nuc is sold.
My hives I use for the cloak board method are very strong, I'd say around 40-50 thousand.
They do get onery when opening the hive so much.

Title: Re: Queen Rearing using the Cloake Board Method.
Post by: Jim134 on April 19, 2013, 09:07:43 pm

This may help you understand the Cloake Board and how to use the Cloake Board

http://robo.bushkillfarms.com/beekeeping/queen-rearing/ (http://robo.bushkillfarms.com/beekeeping/queen-rearing/)




                
               BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)

Title: Re: Queen Rearing using the Cloake Board Method.
Post by: hardwood on April 19, 2013, 09:22:41 pm

You probably won't find eggs after 10 days...20 would be more like it.

Scott