Cell cup holder - 10pcs

Queen Cell Cup Holder – 10 pcs

Make queen bee rearing easier and achieve stable, professional results. Queen cell cup holders are an important part of the proven French system, which enables efficient queen rearing without manual grafting. They are manufactured to fit precisely on queen cell cups removed directly from the rearing cassette, ensuring quick, clean and safe transfer of the larva to the rearing frame. The package contains 10 pieces – an ideal quantity for one standard rearing series.

Rearing without grafting: fewer risks, more certainty

The main advantage is the elimination of the most sensitive part of the entire process – handling the larva. There is no need to work with a grafting tool or worry about damaging the brood. Simply remove the queen cell cup with the larva from the back of the rearing cassette (frame) and insert it into the holder. The larva remains in its original royal jelly, without unnecessary cooling, stress and mechanical intervention.

Higher quality queen cells and stronger queens

Because you don't touch the larvae during transfer, their development proceeds naturally and smoothly. The system is designed for precise rearing of larvae aged 6–24 hours, which is the optimal age for rearing quality queens. The ivory color also resembles beeswax, which may contribute to better acceptance. The result of this gentle procedure is more vital queens with better potential for strong colonies, good fertility and stable performance throughout the season.

Fast work, secure hive box and compatible system

The design is intended for quick handling, modularity and time savings. It will be appreciated by beginner beekeepers as well as those for whom classic grafting is difficult (e.g. due to eyesight or fine motor skills). The cup with larva is inserted into the holder, which is then firmly attached to the base holder (block). The base holder is securely fastened to the rearing frame – by nailing with 4 nails to a bar at the recommended spacing of 28–40 mm. The individual parts are dimensionally unified, mutually compatible and form a complete rearing system.

Technical specifications

Tip for beekeepers: For the best acceptance, we recommend lightly rubbing the plastic parts with honey water before first use, or placing them in the colony for 24–48 hours so that they acquire the colony scent and the bees naturally clean and polish them.

Professional grafting system for easier queen bee rearing

Rearing your own queen bees brings the beekeeper greater self-sufficiency, better control over genetics and long-term consistent colony productivity. This well-designed grafting system significantly simplifies the entire procedure and brings queen rearing closer to less experienced beekeepers as well. It enables obtaining healthy and vital queens without lengthy, delicate work with larvae and without unnecessary stress to the breeding material.

Why choose this system

• Without manual grafting: No need to work with a grafting tool or transfer tiny larvae from comb. This will be especially appreciated by beekeepers with poor eyesight or less steady hands – the work is faster, more precise and gentler.
• Uniform larval age under control: You don't have to laboriously search for the "right" larvae and estimate their age. Thanks to the precisely defined time of egg laying by the breeder queen, you obtain larvae of the same age, which often has a positive effect on the quality of future queens.
• Gentle and safe handling: Larvae remain in the original plastic cups – during work you only transfer the cups. This reduces the risk of damage, drying out or cooling during handling.

Technical specifications of the assembly

Step-by-step queen rearing guide

1. Preparation of rearing frame: Insert the plastic frame with inserted cups (110 pcs) into a standard wooden frame. There are several options: cut an opening in drawn comb and screw the frame to the top bar, incorporate it into a partition when wiring, or temporarily secure it in the comb with rubber bands or string. The bees will soon firmly attach the frame themselves and naturally integrate it into the comb.
2. "Polishing" by bees: Place the prepared frame (including the transparent cover with queen excluder) in the colony for 2–3 days. The bees will coat the plastic with a thin layer of wax and propolis, thereby treating it, giving it the colony scent and accepting it better.
3. Isolation of breeder queen: Lightly coat the queen with honey from the queen excluder side. In a selected gentle and productive colony, locate the breeder queen, insert her through the front opening into the plastic frame and close it. The queen cannot pass through the narrow openings, but workers can pass through, be in contact with her and continuously feed her.
4. Checking egg laying: Place the frame in the center of the brood nest between combs with open brood. The queen usually lays eggs in the frame area within 2–4 hours. The next day, verify that eggs are at the bottom of the cells. If everything is in order, remove the front cover, release the queen and return the frame so that the bees continue to warm the laid eggs.
5. Checking larvae: On the fourth day, remove the frame, carefully brush off the bees and check that the larvae have hatched. After approximately 72 hours, the larva lies at the bottom of the cell in a slight curve; a gentle reflection against the light will indicate that it is in royal jelly and is being fed.
6. Assembly of rearing bar: On a warm day (or in a temperature-controlled room), remove the back cover. Remove the plastic cups with larvae and insert them into the yellow holders. Then snap them into the base holders, which you have previously fastened to the rearing bars at 28–40 mm spacing.
7. Insertion into rearing colony: Transfer the rearing frame to a prepared queenless colony or to a honey super separated from the brood chamber by a solid partition. Ideally, insert it 30–60 minutes after making queenless, so that the bees don't start building emergency queen cells from their own brood. Place the frame in the center of the brood body, where there is stable temperature, suitable humidity and plenty of young nurse bees.
8. Caging and emergence: On the 14th–15th day from egg laying, cage the mature queen cells by sliding a cylindrical incubation cage onto the cup holder. Add a small amount of candy or crystallized honey to the cage as first food for the young queen, who usually emerges on the 16th day.