Queen Rearing with Corey Stevens

Queen Biology Basics

Eggs can be queen or worker
Approximately 24 hours after eggs hatches if it is destined for royalty it is fed a different diet
#1 issue is grafting too old a larvae
The royal jelly prompts significant DNA changes
Incubation for queens is 16/15 days instead of 21 for workers
She's different with jaws, no wax, reproductive organs, unique pheromones, and lives for years not months.

#2 thing is wrong with raising queens is timing
Raise queens when bees are inclined to do it naturally
Three factors influnece natural queen rearing
- Swarming behavior in spring
- Queen absence/sickness
- Supercedure
We want to mimic swarm queens if we can. They're the highest quality

Queens emerge 16 days after the egg was laid (Sometimes 15)
It takes 3 days for the egg to hatch into graftable larvae
You cannot graft an egg!
Grafted larvae is at day 4
People who sell queen cells often talk in age from the day they're larvae. So 10 day ripe cells hatch the next day
Queen cells are capped 5 days after grafting (Day 9)
10 days after grafting they are placed in new colony (Day 14)
Colony needs to be queenless 12-24 hours prior to introduction

Feeder, keep the cell builder stocked
Cell bar frame
Cell cups - He likes JZBZ wide cell, you can also make your own wax cups
Grafting tool - several options. He likes Master Grating. There are Chinese, JZBZ and German ones

Incubator - Optional - House cells prior to hatching as well as caged virigins. Set at 92-93 degrees and add water for humidity - 7 days after grafting
Cell Protectors - Helps organize the cells and protects the cells from queens when the hatch - 7 days after grafting

Shipping boxes - Store cells in incubator and to ship queens
Queen cages - good for holding and introducing queens
Good candy recipe - He uses honey in his candy, but he has to say not to because of disease
- Blends sugar, mixes with honey - use invert sugar syrup instead of honey
- Mix it until its almost too dry
Mating nucs

Quenless or "Queen Right"
- "Queen-right" means a queen in one box and put cells above with excluder in it
- only works because the upper box is queenless
Queenless is a truly queenless box - This is preferred
Starter Box
- Shake frames of nurse bees
- Frame of pollen frame of necter, sponge and gras
- Works only for 24 hours
Best time is a a colony ready to swarm
40 grafts per double deep. Adjust from that
Can only use a colony for 3 weeks because that's when the colony is out of brood

paint pen
clippers to clip wings - helps identify queens and keeps them from flying off and alters swarm behavior
Queen Clip - Great for holding queens while you're working
How do you know its viable
- He opens the cell by pullng the plastic from the wax to see inside - Day 10 (hatch next day)
- They'll look white and still. They move and gain color when they hatch

When you learn to raise queens you're multiplying the genetics you rear from
- Pick your favorites
Breeding is a numbers a game the more colonies the bigger the sample size
Don't coddle crappy queens. If you don't rate them as average or above, replace them with daughters from a better one
Requeening and selecting from your best breeding stock changes everything

Start with a good base of VSH behavior
Alcohol washes do not prove mite resistance they do assess current load
- Harbo tests is the only way to test resistance
- Mites travel, so they will always get mites but VSH keeps them from breeding
VSH/SMR bees also control disease and virus load

What about timing boxes?
- He doesn't use them or starter boxes
What about Nycott system
- Too frustrating
What are mating nucs?
- Smaller colony that you put the queens into to hatch and mate