Success in queen rearing depends largely on timing. The development periods are fixed; the plan is built around them.

The basic intervals

• Egg: Hatches in three days
• Grafting: Larvae in their first day after hatching are the target
• Cell capped: About eight days after grafting
• Queen emerges: About twelve days after grafting
• Maturing: A few days after emergence
• Mating flight: In suitable weather, after maturing
• Laying begins: A few days after mating

From grafting to a laying queen takes a few weeks, depending on the weather.

The critical day

Cells must be given to mating nuclei before the queens emerge. The first queen to emerge destroys the other cells.

This is why the grafting date must be written down. Trusting memory costs several cells every year.

Preparing the breeder colony

To know the larval age, the breeder colony is given an empty comb and the queen is allowed to lay in it.

The grafting day can then be calculated.

Planning the season

• Drones must be present. Production starts once drones have matured
• There must be a flow. Acceptance rate is directly related to it
• The weather must be mild. Mating flights require it
• Do not leave it to the end of the season. The new queen needs time to prepare for winter

Serial production

Grafting at regular intervals establishes continuous production. This requires starter and finisher colonies to be used in rotation.

Each batch should be labelled with its date and breeder line; otherwise it becomes impossible to judge which line performed how.

Records

• Grafting date
• Breeder colony
• Number grafted and number accepted
• Date given to mating nuclei
• Date of laying and outcome

A fall in acceptance rate goes unnoticed without these records.