Rearing Queens using the Miller Method Mark Sweatman Overview of - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

▶
rearing queens using the miller method
SMART_READER_LITE
LIVE PREVIEW

Rearing Queens using the Miller Method Mark Sweatman Overview of - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Mar 18, 2024 112 likes •574 views

Rearing Queens using the Miller Method Mark Sweatman Overview of the queen rearing process Steps using the Miller Method to rear queens Please Hold all Questions What is Required? Desire to rear queens and practice! Planning

slide-1
SLIDE 1

Mark Sweatman

Rearing Queens using the Miller Method

  • Overview of the queen rearing process
  • Steps using the Miller Method to rear

queens

Please Hold all Questions

slide-2
SLIDE 2

What is Required?

  • Desire to rear queens and practice!
  • Planning
  • Maintain a firm schedule
  • Perform some hive manipulations
  • Have mating nucs / hives
slide-3
SLIDE 3

Steps in Queen Rearing

Stock Selection Young Larva Cell Starter Cell Finisher Cell Introduction Mating

slide-4
SLIDE 4

Selection of Queen Stock

  • Honey Production
  • Gentleness
  • Hygienic Behavior
  • Over wintering
  • Few signs of Disease
  • Colony growth / Brood

production Desired Characteristics

slide-5
SLIDE 5

Steps in Queen Rearing

Stock Selection Young Larva Cell Starter Cell Finisher Cell Introduction Mating

<1 Day Old

slide-6
SLIDE 6

Young Larva

Proper Larva Size – Smaller than an Egg

Photograph by A. Zayed, http://www.yorku.ca/zayed/bees/Apidae/Apis/index.html

Egg Just Hatched Too Old Two Larva

slide-7
SLIDE 7

Methods to Secure Young Larva

  • Doolittle Method (Grafting)
  • Miller Method
  • Alley Method
  • Hopkins Method
  • Jenter System
  • Cell Punch Method
  • Emergency
slide-8
SLIDE 8

Methods to Secure Young Larva

  • Doolittle Method (Grafting)
  • Miller Method
  • Alley Method
  • Hopkins Method
  • Jenter System
  • Cell Punch Method
  • Emergency
slide-9
SLIDE 9
  • Doolittle Method (Grafting)
  • Miller Method
  • Alley Method
  • Hopkins Method
  • Jenter System
  • Cell Punch Method
  • Emergency

Methods to Secure Young Larva

slide-10
SLIDE 10
  • Doolittle Method (Grafting)
  • Miller Method
  • Alley Method
  • Hopkins Method
  • Jenter System
  • Cell Punch Method
  • Emergency

Methods to Secure Young Larva

slide-11
SLIDE 11
  • Doolittle Method (Grafting)
  • Miller Method
  • Alley Method
  • Hopkins Method
  • Jenter-Nicot System
  • Cell Punch Method
  • Emergency

Methods to Secure Young Larva

slide-12
SLIDE 12
  • Doolittle Method (Grafting)
  • Miller Method
  • Alley Method
  • Hopkins Method
  • Jenter System
  • Cell Punch Method
  • Emergency

Methods to Secure Young Larva

slide-13
SLIDE 13
  • Doolittle Method (Grafting)
  • Miller Method
  • Alley Method
  • Hopkins Method
  • Jenter System
  • Cell Punch Method
  • Emergency

Be Sure to Evaluate the Queen’s performance.

Methods to Secure Young Larva

slide-14
SLIDE 14
  • Doolittle Method (Grafting)
  • Miller Method
  • Alley Method
  • Hopkins Method
  • Jenter System
  • Cell Punch Method
  • Emergency

Methods to Secure Young Larva

Objective of ALL of these methods is to

  • btain the

young larva suitable for raising quality queens

slide-15
SLIDE 15

Steps in Queen Rearing

Stock Selection Young Larva Cell Starter Cell Finisher Cell Introduction Mating

24 Hours

slide-16
SLIDE 16

Steps in Queen Rearing

Stock Selection Young Larva Cell Starter Cell Finisher Cell Introduction Mating

Queen less Queen right

slide-17
SLIDE 17

Steps in Queen Rearing

Stock Selection Young Larva Cell Starter Cell Finisher Cell Introduction Mating

slide-18
SLIDE 18

Cell Starter

CRITICAL to provisioning larva with abundant royal jelly

EMERGENCY Impulse A cell starter is:

  • A “Closed” box with a large

volume of YOUNG nurse bees.

  • Queen-less, brood-less
  • Contains open nectar, pollen,
slide-19
SLIDE 19

Cell Starter

Cells Remain in Starter 24 Hours

  • Contains our young Larva
  • A 5 frame nucleus box can be

set onto an extended bottom with screened sides

  • Ventilation
  • Space for bees
  • Establish starter 4 – 24 hrs.

before inserting the frame of young larva

slide-20
SLIDE 20

Steps in Queen Rearing

Stock Selection Young Larva Cell Starter Cell Finisher Cell Introduction Mating

8-9 Days

slide-21
SLIDE 21

Cell Finisher

Cell Finisher:

  • Job of the Finisher is to finish the

cells that were Started

  • Bees will fully provision the cells

with Royal Jelly prior to capping- Lower Stress - No rush.

  • Cells will remain in the Finisher 9

days

slide-22
SLIDE 22

Cell Finisher

Superscedure Impulse Cell Finisher:

  • Typically queen-right
  • Vigorous, healthy hive
  • Queen is below an excluder

with empty frames to lay in

  • Frames of uncapped nectar
  • Frame with pollen next to cells
  • Uncapped brood near the cells
  • Feed 1:1 sugar syrup.
slide-23
SLIDE 23

Steps in Queen Rearing

Stock Selection Young Larva Cell Starter Cell Finisher Cell Introduction Mating

slide-24
SLIDE 24

Queen Rearing Time Line

slide-25
SLIDE 25

Queen Rearing Time Line

slide-26
SLIDE 26

Miller Method

  • 1. Select the hive from which you will secure

larva (Stock Selection)

  • 2. Prepare a frame of wax foundation for the bees

to draw out and the queen to lay into.

  • Deep Frame with Deep foundation
  • Worker cell wax foundation, no wires
slide-27
SLIDE 27

Miller Method

  • 1. Wax Foundation ( Miller Frame)
  • Strips
  • Saw tooth

Both options will work

slide-28
SLIDE 28

Miller Method

  • You must have a good nectar flow or heavy

feeding 1:1 sugar syrup for bees to draw wax

  • Place Miller frame in center of brood nest of the

selected stock hive

  • Hive must sit level for wax to be drawn straight
  • Record date and time
slide-29
SLIDE 29

Miller Method

  • Objective -- remove the frame with freshly

hatched eggs. ~ 3 days from time laid

  • Check the frame in 2 days to insure bees are

drawing wax

  • Inspect for eggs
  • Starter box should be prepared 2 to 24 hours

prior to the time eggs in Miller Frame are expected to hatch.

slide-30
SLIDE 30

Miller Method

Possible Complications

  • Bees are not drawing foundation
  • Feed more or wait until there is a nectar flow
  • Bees are filling the drawn comb with nectar
  • Move the hive to loose some of the foragers

and reduce nectar intake

  • Larva has developed beyond 1 day after hatching

(larger than the size of an egg)

  • Start the procedure over
slide-31
SLIDE 31

Preparing Starter

  • Go to a strong hive and locate

the frame with the queen and set this frame aside.

  • Pull 4 frames with open nectar

and pollen

  • Center frame space left vacant.
slide-32
SLIDE 32

Preparing Starter

  • Shake in 2 to 4 lbs of nurse bees.

(nurse bees on frames with brood)

  • Add a clean sponge with water to the bottom

board of Starter

  • Feed the Starter with 1:1 sugar syrup
  • Close & set in a cool place
  • Effectiveness requires Starter be queen less

Starter now waiting on Miller Frame!

slide-33
SLIDE 33

Miller Method

  • When the Miller frame is filled with eggs just begun

to hatch (Ideally larva < 12 hours old) the frame can be removed. Approximately 4 days after inserted

  • - Day 0 --
  • The bees will have drawn drone cells beyond the
  • riginal shape provided.

Drone Cells

slide-34
SLIDE 34

Miller Method

  • Avoid tilting the Miller frame – the wax

foundation may break free

  • Trim away added comb to original shape

with a warm - sharp knife.

slide-35
SLIDE 35

Miller Method

  • After trimming, use a stick to destroy 2 larva &

leave 1 larva along cut edges – both sides.

  • Work quickly (< 10 minutes) and avoid sunlight

to prevent drying of larva

  • Use a damp paper towel to cover larva &

prevent drying

slide-36
SLIDE 36

Starter

  • Insert the Miller frame

into the center of the Starter. Miller Frame

Shown here as a grafted frame

  • Cover & sit the starter in

a cool dark place for 24 hours

slide-37
SLIDE 37

Preparing Finisher

  • Select a strong queen-

right hive

  • Insure queen is below the

excluder

  • The box above the

excluder must be a deep box to accept the Miller Frame

slide-38
SLIDE 38

Preparing Finisher

  • Make sure the Finisher has 1:1 sugar syrup
  • Remove very young brood frames in favor of older

larva or capped brood.

  • Place a frame with pollen next to the Miller Frame.
  • Place a frame with brood next to the Miller Frame
  • Insure there are open frames of nectar
  • Insure there is NO queen above the queen excluder
  • Handle the Miller Frame with care -- avoid breaking

the wax and jarring the queen cells. Insert

  • - Day 1 --
slide-39
SLIDE 39

Finisher / Mating Nucs

  • Take a peek and see how many cells are drawn and

capped.

  • Consider culling any small queen cells.
  • Make a count on the number of mating nucs that

will be needed.

  • Prepare mating nucs. Best to move to a different

apiary so that you don’t loose the bees to drifting back to their hive.

  • - Day 8 --
slide-40
SLIDE 40

Miller Method

Queen Selection Young Larva

Miller Method

Cell Introduction Mating Cell Starter Cell Finisher

slide-41
SLIDE 41

Queen Cell Introduction

  • -Day 9 --

Mating Nucs should be made up a day or two in advance of installing queen cells Should have been queen-less for 24 - 48 hours Place queen cell on a frame with bees (near brood)

  • -Day 10 --
slide-42
SLIDE 42

Miller Method

Stock Selection Young Larva

Miller Method

Cell Introduction Mating Cell Starter Cell Finisher

Check in ~10-12 Days for eggs

SUCCESS!

slide-43
SLIDE 43

Queen Rearing Time Line

slide-44
SLIDE 44

Closing

  • The ONLY way to learn to rear queens is to do

it!

  • You will make mistakes but will learn from

them.

  • It takes practice to develop good technique.
  • Read good books and articles to expand your

knowledge.

  • May be helpful to work with a partner.
slide-45
SLIDE 45

Further Information

Send me an email request and I will reply with presentation notes and papers on rearing queens. Email: MSweatman@Netzero.net Cell: 864-431-1905