Brief Overview: By grafting queens, you can raise queens with superior genetics and boost the productivity of your hives. This comprehensive guide walks you through the process step by step!

Introduction: Why Is Queen Grafting Important?

Do you know what drives a hive to peak success? The queen! But what if you could produce high-quality queens with the genetics you desire? Queen grafting is a globally recognized and standardized method that allows you to control honey production, pollination, and genetic improvement. This reliable and well-planned technique yields top-quality queens. Join us at Honey Hub to explore this art step by step!

Tools and Materials Needed

• Grafting Needle: Metal (e.g., dental tool), spring-loaded plastic, or a fine wet paintbrush.
• Grafting Cells: Handmade wax (using a dipping stick), pre-made wax, or plastic base-mounted cells.
• Grafting Bar and Frame: A standard or custom frame for mounting cells.
• Royal Jelly: Harvested from queen cells in an orphaned hive after 3-4 days, or diluted (7:3 with distilled water).
• Adequate Lighting: Headlamp or backlighting for better visibility.
• Kettle and Wet Towel: To maintain humidity and protect larvae.
• Starter and Nurse Hives: Strong hives with continuous feeding.
• Nucs: Small 4-5 frame hives or mating boxes (e.g., Apidea).

Step 1: Preparing the Starter Hive

Prepare the starter hive 2 days in advance. Select a strong colony, remove the queen and 2 brood frames (for a new nuc), and add 1 frame of sealed brood and 1 syrup feeder. After 2 days, remove any emergency queen cells. Take out an empty frame and fill the central space with pollen, honey, and brood. The hive should be full of young nurse bees, queenless, and continuously fed with syrup. 8 to 24 hours after preparation, ready the grafting frame for transferring larvae.

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Step 2: Preparing the Breeder Hive and Selecting Larvae

Use a colony with a superior queen (calm, resilient, and productive). Four days prior, provide a healthy dark frame or empty comb for egg-laying, or confine the queen overnight in an excluder cage over an empty comb. Select 12-18 hour-old larvae (small, comma-shaped, not fully "C"-shaped) to allow sufficient time for queen rearing and ensure good acceptance rates. Brush bees off the frame (do not shake) to avoid dislodging larvae.

Step 3: Preparing the Environment and Grafting Tools

The environment should be warm (25-30°C), wind-free, and humid (60-70%). Use a steaming kettle and wet towel to maintain humidity and keep larvae away from direct sunlight. Grafting can be done indoors (in a building or vehicle) or outdoors. Prepare a table with backlighting (over the right shoulder) for easy access to larvae and grafting bars. Ready the cells with wax or plastic.

Step 4: The Grafting Process

Cover the donor frame with a wet towel and place it on an angled stand. Add a drop of diluted royal jelly (or water) to each cell. Using a grafting needle (metal or plastic), lift the larva with its royal jelly from the outer curve of its "C" shape, placing it in the cell without damage or flipping. The spring-loaded plastic needle transfers jelly too, but dry grafting with a metal tool or brush works as well. Cover the completed bar with a towel and immediately return it to the center of the starter hive (between brood frames).

Tip: Speed and precision in transferring are critical; drying or chilling larvae leads to failure.

Step 5: Managing Queen Cells

Checking Acceptance

1 to 3 days after grafting, gently inspect the frame (no shaking or jarring). You can turn it upside down to check the cells. Accepted cells will have extended wax walls, with larvae floating on a deep bed of royal jelly. Early-season batches may have low acceptance, but rates improve later. Persistent poor acceptance may indicate a second queen in the upper brood box or a damaged excluder.

Removing Emergency Queen Cells

6-7 days after grafting, shake brood frames in the upper box and remove emergency queen cells to keep bees focused on grafted cells.

Harvesting Queen Cells

Harvest cells 11 days after grafting (1 day before hatching), as mature pupae are more robust. Mark frames if grafting multiple batches. Transfer cells to queenless nucs immediately or keep them warm in an incubator.

Brood Rotation

For subsequent grafts, rotate brood weekly: move freshly sealed brood frames to the upper box, return emerged frames below the excluder for re-laying, and place a young brood frame upstairs. Start and end from opposite sides for a consistent pattern.

Step 6: Using Queen Cells

11 days after grafting and 1 day before hatching, introduce cells to 4-5 frame nucs or mating boxes (e.g., Apidea). Delays cause chaos and queen loss. Nucs must be stocked with bees and brood.

Graft-Free Methods (Simple Alternatives)

If grafting feels challenging, systems like Jenter or Nicot are simpler options. The queen lays eggs in a ready-made cell box, and larvae are introduced to the hive without manual transfer. This suits small-scale production.

Planning the Grafting Process

A queen’s biological timeline is 16 days (3 days egg, 9 days larva and pupa, emergence on day 16). With 1-2 day-old larvae, queens emerge in 11-12 days. Record grafting dates (notebook or hive card) to prepare nucs on time. An early-emerging queen will destroy the others.

Calendar Example: Graft on day 1, transfer to nucs on day 10, emergence on day 12, egg-laying by day 21 (weather-dependent).

Key Tips for Success

• Maintain temperature (32-35°C) and humidity (60-70%).
• Select 12-24 hour-old larvae.
• Continuously feed the starter hive and remove extra queen cells.
• Avoid shaking frames after grafting.
• Ensure each nuc has only one queen cell.

Benefits of Queen Grafting

Mass production of high-quality queens, genetic improvement, increased honey yield, and better pollination are key benefits. This global technique offers precise planning and reliable results.

Common Issues and Solutions

• Poor Acceptance: Weak hive or second queen present → Add bees/food and check the excluder.
• Larvae Drying: Low humidity → Use steam and a towel.
• Queen Loss: Nucs not ready → Plan timing precisely.

Conclusion

Queen grafting, whether manual or with simple alternatives, transforms you into a skilled beekeeper. At Honey Hub, we provide the tools and knowledge for your success. Share your experiences with us and visit our site!