Great video! When I would cage the cells, I would just let the cell holder rest on the nicot cage, so as not to jostle the queen. After she hatches, I would pull the cell holder out and break off the queen cell. Then I would 'snap' it in place. Looking forward to the next video. Thanks.
David Jastram any time after day 10 from grafting. You know yourself you cant risk one hatching before the others. Yes, we all have our own ideas, but I had to work, well and quickly ! I am always looking for better ways too!
Nice Video, had the same issue with damaged cells in incubator last year. You can cut off the top 0.5-1cm of the nicot-cage, so the cup-holder will fit easier before you put them into the incubator. The cells look awesome.
Interesting video as always. When you get a chance could you post something about the qualities of the different queens you have bought as breeder stock. You refer to spending a lot of money on queens and say your bees have improved greatly over the native bees. I would like to hear your assessment of which are the best suppliers.
I am new, I plan to try this this coming spring (this is more of a question than a statement). What if you put the cages on the cells before you release them from the bar, looks like they fit quite snug!
My man ! You still killing it! Looking forward to more insemination Videos that's interesting stuff,I would think that they would be Brood Monsters if they were inseminated,very good job Explaining and sharing your set up ,I have cells In incubator now,new incubator coming any day now,I can't wait! Great Teaching Richard keep em coming
Put the cages around the cells and let them on the wooden bar. This is less risk. After the queens are matured you can take the whole from the wooden bar
Hi Richard. Re your query about a better system, so as not to jar the queen cells when taking them off the bar. Would it be possible to leave the cells on the bar, slip the hair curler-like things over them and then pop bar, cells and hair curler-like things into incubator, doing away with the little trays? Have never seen the kit in real life and it’s hard to see exactly from the video, so if this is a non-starter not to worry. If bars too long to fit in incubator, hinge them in the middle so that they can fold back on themselves in a U shape, thus being half as long and so will fit? Your videos are very instructive. Keep them up please and good luck for the remainder of the season! Best. PEK.
Hi John, No I didn’t because I found its better their on solid rather than falling off. It’s the whole method of removing that’s the issue. I am looking for solutions.
Thanks Richard, This is fantastic PRACTICAL and FUNDAMENTAL queen rearing information. One question; with the finisher being what looks like a five-over-five Nuc arrangement, is this a closed hive (no flying in/out) or block by a queen excluder at the entrance?
Hi Glen, yes, its a 5 over 5, yes, but open at the front. no queen excluder on the front door. the queen excluder is in the middle, that separated the bottom 5 frames from the top 5 frames. the 5 over 5 is a finisher, and brood factory.
being totally honest I've never tested it. Ive always worked on the principle that those who have tested it, just put a saucer of water in the bottom of the incubator. seems to work great.i am sure its down to each individual incubator.
Hi - you had two queen cells in the first finisher that wasn't finish. Could it be that that those two weren't as old as the other queen cells. I have heard from another queen breeder that the bees won't finish cells of different ages. The bees properly think they have done their job when they have finish the oldest queen cells. It is a shame that you can't hang the bar with all the queen cells. That's how I do in my own incubator.
Hi Hendrik, they were tow cells that didn't contain good look larvae, but i put them in anyway. that's how it is with me, i try and see how they do if the look viable. yes it would be good to put the whole bar directly i, but in the end they still have to be taken off the cup holders be caged or inserted, so there's not much advantage either way. best regards.
Richard Noel I’m going to use my digital chicken egg incubator this year, I like to use a 20mm x 50mm single grafting bar it has 16 cups on it, I find the conventional frame cumbersome. I’m going to trial a stationary six queen castle at the home apiary, the base is Chep pallet size 1200mm x 580mm for forking and segmented into six four frame nuc excluded and sharing a 30 frame deep super, hopeful to use this setup as a brood factory to coincide with queening and boosting colonies, I’ll be sure to share my results
G’day mate, looks like you’ve been a busy bee 🐝, I have a question Richard regarding brambles and the yield they produce, I have a black berry farmer who wants bees and was wondering if you get much from brambles where you are ?
Yes we get a lot from brambles, i would assume that black berries are the same in yield, but be aware you need a lot of blackberries to alter the nectar yield, cultivated varieties need to grown in large acreage to have any chance of a good yield. we have wild bramble here but a lot of it, its just about to come in to flower now!
Richard Noel they have 20 acres or so of blackberry some thornless varieties, all have been grown on old wine grape post and wires they also grow 50 acres of a few different varieties of fig espaliered to the wine grape post and wires, I was hoping to use the berries on mutual terms for building/rebuilding colonies after certain pollination services which generally diminishes the strength of colonies. How’s your season going so far? It’s the start of winter ❄️ here the girls still fly and forage here from 10am to 4pm but that will change soon enough
BESHY’S BEE’S Bee tee vee sounds good I terms of pollen diversity. Just see if there is anything else around in times of dearth ! Yes great spring here’s summer flow just about to start.
@@richardnoel3141 I am lucky to have 50 hives in New Zealand of really nice bees but there is always the odd cow who just cant help herself. I have worked in Western Australia where they shave some some really cranky bees and I mean REALLY CRANKY when its 40 deg C so you don't want to be all covered up but the bees want to kill you so I know what thats like too.
Ian steppler recons the shorter cells are better because they can still reach the royal jelly if they are too long he thinks the queen can’t reach the jelly
Richards cells look great 👍 I don’t say shorter cells are better, just too long have caused issue with queen development. You know a long cell when you see it
Nice video mate. Great to see the scale of your operation... Truly magnificent 👍🏽🏴
Great video! When I would cage the cells, I would just let the cell holder rest on the nicot cage, so as not to jostle the queen. After she hatches, I would pull the cell holder out and break off the queen cell. Then I would 'snap' it in place.
Looking forward to the next video.
Thanks.
David Jastram any time after day 10 from grafting. You know yourself you cant risk one hatching before the others. Yes, we all have our own ideas, but I had to work, well and quickly ! I am always looking for better ways too!
Thanks Richard, intresting video information about queen rearing.
Yup very good ,Picked up a few points good to seeing your using the foam blocks and aluminium strips good lad 😎😉
Thanks for sharing ! 🐝safe and keep your smoker lit.
Konrad
Nice Video, had the same issue with damaged cells in incubator last year. You can cut off the top 0.5-1cm of the nicot-cage, so the cup-holder will fit easier before you put them into the incubator. The cells look awesome.
Great:-) Really Fun to watch your Videos
Good video Richard I was wondering about your incubator thank you.
Hi!!! Good job!!!
Interesting video as always. When you get a chance could you post something about the qualities of the different queens you have bought as breeder stock. You refer to spending a lot of money on queens and say your bees have improved greatly over the native bees. I would like to hear your assessment of which are the best suppliers.
I am new, I plan to try this this coming spring (this is more of a question than a statement). What if you put the cages on the cells before you release them from the bar, looks like they fit quite snug!
Hi. After how many days the hatches are closed, transfer them to the incubator? Thank you!
My man ! You still killing it! Looking forward to more insemination Videos that's interesting stuff,I would think that they would be Brood Monsters if they were inseminated,very good job Explaining and sharing your set up ,I have cells In incubator now,new incubator coming any day now,I can't wait! Great Teaching Richard keep em coming
Put the cages around the cells and let them on the wooden bar. This is less risk. After the queens are matured you can take the whole from the wooden bar
Hi Richard.
Re your query about a better system, so as not to jar the queen cells when taking them off the bar.
Would it be possible to leave the cells on the bar, slip the hair curler-like things over them and then pop bar, cells and hair curler-like things into incubator, doing away with the little trays? Have never seen the kit in real life and it’s hard to see exactly from the video, so if this is a non-starter not to worry.
If bars too long to fit in incubator, hinge them in the middle so that they can fold back on themselves in a U shape, thus being half as long and so will fit?
Your videos are very instructive. Keep them up please and good luck for the remainder of the season!
Best. PEK.
Coming late to the party, but did you ever uze Vaseline on the cup attachments, will make it easier to get the queen cells off
Hi John, No I didn’t because I found its better their on solid rather than falling off. It’s the whole method of removing that’s the issue. I am looking for solutions.
Thanks Richard, This is fantastic PRACTICAL and FUNDAMENTAL queen rearing information.
One question; with the finisher being what looks like a five-over-five Nuc arrangement, is this a closed hive (no flying in/out) or block by a queen excluder at the entrance?
Hi Glen, yes, its a 5 over 5, yes, but open at the front. no queen excluder on the front door. the queen excluder is in the middle, that separated the bottom 5 frames from the top 5 frames. the 5 over 5 is a finisher, and brood factory.
Hi Richard great video again, do you ever directly introduce virgins to nucs
Yes, if you look at a previous video from last year it covers this. I think its called queen introduction in the mating station.
I know guys who set at 92, 92.5, 93, 93.5 and 94 Fahrenheit
I keep mine at 93. What’s your humidity?
being totally honest I've never tested it. Ive always worked on the principle that those who have tested it, just put a saucer of water in the bottom of the incubator. seems to work great.i am sure its down to each individual incubator.
Mine 65%
How do you find the " foamies " Richard ?? 😎
Mark Heslin their a great help moving cells. We’re working on them all the time!
Hi - you had two queen cells in the first finisher that wasn't finish. Could it be that that those two weren't as old as the other queen cells. I have heard from another queen breeder that the bees won't finish cells of different ages. The bees properly think they have done their job when they have finish the oldest queen cells.
It is a shame that you can't hang the bar with all the queen cells. That's how I do in my own incubator.
Hi Hendrik, they were tow cells that didn't contain good look larvae, but i put them in anyway. that's how it is with me, i try and see how they do if the look viable. yes it would be good to put the whole bar directly i, but in the end they still have to be taken off the cup holders be caged or inserted, so there's not much advantage either way. best regards.
Richard Noel I’m going to use my digital chicken egg incubator this year, I like to use a 20mm x 50mm single grafting bar it has 16 cups on it, I find the conventional frame cumbersome.
I’m going to trial a stationary six queen castle at the home apiary, the base is Chep pallet size 1200mm x 580mm for forking and segmented into six four frame nuc excluded and sharing a 30 frame deep super, hopeful to use this setup as a brood factory to coincide with queening and boosting colonies, I’ll be sure to share my results
G’day mate, looks like you’ve been a busy bee 🐝, I have a question Richard regarding brambles and the yield they produce, I have a black berry farmer who wants bees and was wondering if you get much from brambles where you are ?
Yes we get a lot from brambles, i would assume that black berries are the same in yield, but be aware you need a lot of blackberries to alter the nectar yield, cultivated varieties need to grown in large acreage to have any chance of a good yield. we have wild bramble here but a lot of it, its just about to come in to flower now!
Richard Noel they have 20 acres or so of blackberry some thornless varieties, all have been grown on old wine grape post and wires they also grow 50 acres of a few different varieties of fig espaliered to the wine grape post and wires, I was hoping to use the berries on mutual terms for building/rebuilding colonies after certain pollination services which generally diminishes the strength of colonies.
How’s your season going so far? It’s the start of winter ❄️ here the girls still fly and forage here from 10am to 4pm but that will change soon enough
BESHY’S BEE’S Bee tee vee sounds good I terms of pollen diversity. Just see if there is anything else around in times of dearth !
Yes great spring here’s summer flow just about to start.
Richard Noel nice! Hope it all goes well, take it easy Richard 👍
Do you smoke your hands?
It does help. but better bees just don't sting you!
@@richardnoel3141 I am lucky to have 50 hives in New Zealand of really nice bees but there is always the odd cow who just cant help herself. I have worked in Western Australia where they shave some some really cranky bees and I mean REALLY CRANKY when its 40 deg C so you don't want to be all covered up but the bees want to kill you so I know what thats like too.
Any chance of shipping me some queens?
Ian steppler recons the shorter cells are better because they can still reach the royal jelly if they are too long he thinks the queen can’t reach the jelly
I couldnt say, its an interesting idea. I an is a wealth of knowledge. I will speak to him. Thanks for this!
Any study on this?
Richards cells look great 👍
I don’t say shorter cells are better, just too long have caused issue with queen development. You know a long cell when you see it