Our queen rearing program for 2009 was led as always by Noel Power. Three different methods of queen rearing were attempted, all with a large degree of success.

Hopkins/Vince Cook method

Fristly, one colony was selected early on for expansion onto a double brood chamber. This was rearranged at one of our Saturday practicals such that it contained mostly sealed and emerging brood in the upper chamber with the queen confined to the lower chamber. On the following Saturday, the two boxes were separated such that the formerly top box without the queen was on the old site with the box containing the queen moved onto a new floor on a new site.

A frame of newly hatched larvae from a breeder queen was placed on top of the box on the original site (the queenless half) in a specially designed adapter frame (see image below). This arrangement was left overnight.

The next evening this frame was examined and 35 queen cells had been started by the bees.

Frame with Queen Cells from Hopkins method

Also on the following evening the colony was put back together as before, with the queen in the lower box and the box without the queen over it with an excluder in between. This means that larvae are finished under the supersedure impulse which ensures heavy feeding of larvae.

The placing of a frame of larvae over the queenless broodbox is due to Hopkins and is often referred to as the Hopkins method. More about the Hopkins method can be found here.

Otherwise the method is similar to that described by Vince Cook in "Queen Rearing Simplified".

Swarm Box & Grafting

The second method involves grafting, and the use of a swarm box. The swarm box contained two frames of honey, two of pollen, and six to seven frames of young bees were shaken in. The swarm box was closed so that bees could not enter or leave. Two frames containing grafts were given to the bees, with good acceptance by the next day. These started cells were then placed above the queen excluder in production colonies to be nourished until sealed.

Though good results were achieved, it was felt that six to seven frames of young bees was not enough and more bees would have yielded better results. The final total of cells finished by this method was 17.

Use of natural swarm cell

The third method is much simpler, that of making a nuc from a swarming colony. A very strong colony had built queen cells and a frame with one of these and some brood was placed in a nuc box along with another frame of brood. Two frames of stores with honey and pollen were added. Two frames of young bees were shaken in and a drawn comb added to provide for a little expansion. This colony was moved to a different location to prevent the return of bees to the parent colony. The drawback of this method is the long term propogation of swarmy bees, but it does guarantee healthy queens which is as important as breeding.

Distribution of cells

On the Monday week following grafting/provision of Hopkins frame (Day 13-14), the cells were distributed to mating nuclei. Some were put into Apidea mating hives with others in to larger 5 frame nucs. Excess cells were given to members of the association who had made up nucs and Apideas of their own.

A document outlining the approach used can be found here