# Methods you use to raise queens



## bee_linux (Jan 30, 2011)

Hello everyone,

Started raising my own queens this year and was wondering what methods everybody uses and what they like/dislike about certain methods. I am using the cell punch method now with limited success. Anybody else using it? Any pointers?


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

I also use the cell punch method. When I started it was called the Cooper method after a guy in Astr. who I presume started the pratiac.
I like it because my tired old eyes had trouble trying to spoon those tiny larvas from the cells to place in the queen cups.

 Al


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## bee_linux (Jan 30, 2011)

Thanks Al. I'm curious on what size of cutter you are using. I made my own cutter using 3/8 brass tubing. I punch it, push it through to the other end and then hang it on a frame I made. I don't have the best of luck getting the bees to accept the punch and build it out. I found instruction where someone is using 1/2 in copper pipe and then "gluing" the wax plugs with melted wax to the bars. I'm thinking that they may accept the all wax plug better than the brass/wax combo. Any tips you can throw my way would be greatly appreciated.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

I use a small folding work table I bought at Lowe's so I can take it to the bee yard where the most diseriable trait colonies are. I also use a 3/8 punch soldered on a stiff wire anbd a wood handle. I have a couple of tin cans that one fits inside of, bottom one sets on my small gas camp stove with water in it second one fits inside that with some wax to be melted.
Once the stove is going and the water is hot enough to melt the wax I take a frame with eggs and just hatched eggs set it on the table punch out the cell I wasnt use a flux brush to brush a good coating of wax on the cell bar and quickly attach the plug to the bar before the wax sets up hard. Helps to have extra hands when doing this.
Once I have the plug on the bar I carefully useing a chop stick end round the edges of the cell. Once I have about 6 cells attched to the bar I set it in a nuc and shake a bunch of nurse bees in along with a couple frames of about to hatch brood. Once the cells are fully drawn and closed I slice them off the bar set them in a cell holder I rigged up to install in a frame in a mateing nuc.
I try to keep a few queens around in nucs till the end of August after that they are all done for the year. 

Thought about change in over to a complete queen rearing kit but decided I was doing OK and didn't have as much invested in how I do it for about 30 queens a year.

http://www.mannlakeltd.com/ProductDetail.asp?idproduct=1492&idCategory=


 Al


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## bee_linux (Jan 30, 2011)

Thanks Al, that helped a lot. I think why I was having limited success is that I was leaving the wax plug in the short piece of tube and hanging the entire tube. I'll make myself a different punch and try hanging just the wax plug instead. Thanks also for the link. I'm actually putting in an order to Mann Lake tonight. I saw that kit but right now I'm not needing that many queens yet. Just a few for me and to help start some new guys out.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

My 3/8 inch plug cutter started life as a ferrurl for connecting soft copper tubing together. It was sharpened with several hours of labor and fine sand paper while watching TV or some other thing like that. The inside was polished with fine rubbing compound till it was as smooth as a new babies bottom. Spray it lightly with pam so the plug will slip out once it is waxed to the frame.

 Al


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