A good rule when raising a few queens is to keep it simple. And not having to graft larvae from one cell to another is as simple as could be. So, how can that be done?
The Hopkins method is one way, where you simply put a frame with eggs and larvae in a queenless colony and let them do their thing. You even have some controls of the genetics that way, depending on where that frame comes from.
Or you can simply do a split, remove the queen from one or both and get out of the way and let them raise a queen in one or both.
Commercial queens are expensive, but it costs to control all the variable costs of a big operation, the drones, the labor and all that. Those costs are passed onto you… plus overnight shipping, usually making it a $60 queen.
Using non-graft queens, such as in the Hopkins method, you can depend on the bees knowing what they want, probably better than you do. One thing you do have to control is the timing. You want that new queen producing full tilt before winter, so the bees that go into winter are the bees you want next spring.
Raising a queens can be fun and having a couple queens available throughout the season is good insurance. Listen today, as Kim and Jim discuss raising non-graft queens!
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Music: Heart & Soul by Gyom, Walking in Paris by Studio Le Bus, original guitar music by Jeffrey Ott
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