# Queen rearing, Cooper method.



## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

For some reason I never have gotten pictures taken of me doing this. So it is all verbal​There are many methods of queen rearing but for me the Cooper method used a lot in Australia, I was introduced to in 2001, has been the best method for me. The cooper method in the USA is called cell punch method. What is needed to use this method, Way to punch out the cells with the eggs you want to use. A simple 3/8 inch compression fitting with a straight shaft of stiff wire soldered to it, a simple handle made of dowel and epoxied to the stiff wire. A bit of bees wax, a heat source to melt the bees wax, a flux brush, and a Top bar without the wedge removed, A frame with eggs in it, and a magnifying glass with light so you can clearly see the eggs.








I also like to have a warm damp towel to cover the part of the frame I am not working on at the moment.
Lay the frame on a flat work surface; I use a portable work bench for this. With the clamp the magnifying light to it so I can see the eggs in the cell very easy. Center the punch over the cell you want to harvest. Push the punch thru the wax cutting a nice circle around the cell. Sometimes they are hard to remove from the punch so I have a old comb frame setting nearby to punch pushing the cell I want up and out. Gently take the cell you have punched out with the egg brush some melted wax on the top bar and stick the cell to it holding it till the wax hardens.
Repete that until you have as many cells per bar as you want I do no more than 10 cells per bar. When you have the bar all finished place it in a queen less nuc. Make sure you have plenty of bees in the nuc with frames brood about to emerge so you keep the population high. Normally by day 6 you will have fully drawn queen cells to harvest. I use a good sharp paring knife to slide between the bar and top of the queen cell and then place them in other queen less nuc I have made up. I have taken some fine wire twisted it into a circle around a smallish bolt with both ends of the wire sticking out. Those ends are pushed into a frame of drawn comb a queen cell set in the hoop that remains and placed in the center of the nuc.
link to other sources of information and way of doing this.
http://www.dave-cushman.net/bee/cellpunch.html
http://www.hudsonvillehoney.com/2011/07/18/backyard-queen-rearing/

A kit if you don't want to make up your own.
http://freemanbeetletrap.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/docs/Queen_Brochure_PDF.72203913.pdf

 Al


----------

