Method 2 Increase
Grafting
 
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Grafting Time Table
for Apis Mellifera Mellifera, Ligustica, Carnica and
Caucasica Species of bees

Day -6
Put the cell plug box frame into the queen mother colony to be cleaned and to acquire the scent. This also means that all the plastic parts will be at the correct temperature when the queen is confined.
Day -5
Find the queen mother and place her in the cell plug box.
Day -1
Place grafting frame (or cell bar fixtures of cell plug box system) in colony whose queen's larvae will be used so that they will be cleaned by bees and acquire the 'right' scent and temperature.
Day Zero
Grafting Day... Put the grafted frames in the starter colonies. Or if using a cell plug box, you will need to take out the plugs and fit them into the cell bar fixtures before transferring these to the starter colonies. If repeat batches are to be made then tomorrows grafting frames can be placed in the queen mother colony.
Day +1
Transfer cell frames from starter colonies to finishing colonies. Graft another batch and start a second timetable. This cannot be done with the cell plug boxes unless an extra box was introduced to another queen mother colony on Day -5, with confinement on Day -4
Day +2
Feed finishing colonies fresh honey and pollen.
Day +3
Feed finishing colonies fresh honey and pollen.
Day +4
Feed finishing colonies fresh honey and pollen.
Day +5
Feed finishing colonies fresh honey and pollen.
Day +6
No action required, but cells will be sealed at some time during this day.
Day +8
Populate mating nucs if not already established and keep closed in a cool place.
Day +9
Set out the mating nucs late in the evening.
Day +10
Put queen cells, fitted with cell protectors, in nucs.
Day +11
Early emergence if temperature is unduly high or the larvae were older than they should have been.
Day +12
The thirteenth day, normal emergence should happen, but precise timing is not possible as it is unknown what time of day the original eggs were laid.
Day +??
It is not possible to be exact as to when a virgin becomes fully fertile, but is usually within 6 days of emergence.
Day +??
Mating is always a variable time, being dependant on weather, but if it has not happened within 14 days of emergence then a deterioration process sets in and any mating that does take place may be less than perfect.
Day +37
At some point the virgin becomes un-mateable, but it is impossible to be certain when. However if no eggs are seen in the mating nuc by this time... Kill the queen, refresh the nuc with some young bees and start again.

If positive action is to be taken to secure adequate numbers of fertile drones... Insert drawn drone combs in suitable drone mother colonies on Day -24.

Simply because days are 24 hours long it is impossible to be totally accurate. Judgment of larva age for grafting by eye is subjective. It is not possible to know at what hour of the day the queen mother will start lay in a cell plug box or indeed how long it takes for her to fill it. If more precision is required, you must take the risk of inspecting the cell plug box for eggs every three hours.

 Written... Autumn 2000, Modified... 19 June 2002, Revised... 20 January 2003, Upgraded... 11 April 2006,
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