queen cages

[gmcharlie]

Does anyone know where I can find push in maybe 2X2?  queen cages?   hate to buy a whole bunch of hardware cloth and bend and form......someway to trap emerging queens raised on foundations?

[Robo]

Can't help you with the wire cages, but can warn you not to use the plastic push in cages.   They don't penetrate into the wax far enough and the bees tunnel right under them.

[BjornBee]

Not sure you reasoning for caging each queen in such a manner. But if you have time for such a technique for each queen, why just not move them into nucs or other prepared hives? You need a "colony unit" of some sort for each queen. So why not just make up the units and forego the whole push in cage thing?

[Michael Bush]

I make mine as large as I can get on the comb.  Easier to get emerging brood, empty cells and honey so they are all set for the queen to get a good start.  I'd make your own from hardware cloth.

[gmcharlie]

Not sure you reasoning for caging each queen in such a manner. But if you have time for such a technique for each queen, why just not move them into nucs or other prepared hives? You need a "colony unit" of some sort for each queen. So why not just make up the units and forego the whole push in cage thing?

Well my plan was/is to rear queens on regular brood cell useing the MDA/ case method.  I don't think I can safely remove the queen cell from teh foundation without damaging it.   Actually I have never tried,  but it seems to me doing that without damaging the developing queen is about impossible.  So my plan was to cage each one independaly a day or two befor they are supposed to hatch and them move them when the actually do.

Charlie

[rdy-b]

if the foundation is wax and not plastic you will be able to cut them out easily-take a look at this maybe you can adapt your strategy-

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5661519733479148923

    RDY-B

[gmcharlie]

well at the moment all my foundation is plastic....  therin is the issue.   I am trying to get some wax,  but the likelyhood of drawn wax in preperation for spring laying is pretty slim this year.

[TwT]

if you can get one frame with wax foundation and put in the middle of the brood nest in the spring it will take no time and you will probably have eggs in it before the cells are drawn all the way out, don't give up you have plenty of time.

[gmcharlie]

if the foundation is wax and not plastic you will be able to cut them out easily-take a look at this maybe you can adapt your strategy- http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5661519733479148923    RDY-B

Thanks for teh link,  excellent content,   unfortunatly the video/ audio quality is very poor.....  there were several  videos that seemed interesting,  but you can't read the screen  and my hearing is bad enough I can't seperate the voices from the background noise

[rdy-b]

here is some stuf to read of the same material-check out the hopkins method -very easy to harvest cells this way- RDY-B  http://www.bushfarms.com/beesqueenrearing.htm