Queen rearing course

Practical and theoretic instruction on all aspects of queen rearing by Bruce White and Dr Nadine Chapman hosted by Cumberland Beekeepers Club

Participants will prepare a starter hive for queen cell rearing, graft queen larva, check their success, and make up a mating nucleus hive. Queen cells can be taken home.

Day 1

• Introduction
• Biology and life cycles
• Cell Bars
• Types of queen cells
• Preparing cell starter colonies
• Preparing starting and finishing colonies
• Grafting using different tools
• Nutrition
• Diseases
• Calendar of operation

Day 2

• Check grafting from day 1
• Breeding and genetics
• Artificial insemination
• Drone mother hive management
• Preparing nucleus colonies
• Packaged bees
• Mating apiaries
• Queen banking
• Queen candy
• Queen introduction
• Catching, marking, clipping and caging queens
• Transporting queens and queen cells

Catering: morning tea and lunch provided

The event runs from 9am to 430pm on both days

Please wear closed shoes and long pants and shirt. We have a selection of beesuits that you may borrow.