Comb box only for queen system
Foundation Cell System
Foundation cell system is a plastic breeding system (partition in a frame) into which the queen bee lays eggs directly into prepared cells. This is a modern tool for efficient and controlled queen rearing – it allows you to have egg-laying fully under control and significantly simplifies subsequent manipulation with larvae. The greatest advantage is breeding without grafting, meaning without manual transfer of larvae.
How the breeding system works
The queen lays eggs directly into the queen cups in the breeding board. After the larvae hatch, the plugs with larvae are simply removed from the comb and inserted into equally sized holes in the bottoms of plastic queen cups. The breeding board has 110 cells for egg-laying and also a practical section for candy paste. Simply attach it to a freshly drawn frame – under suitable conditions and proper preparation, the queen often fills the entire space within just 1 day.
Benefits for beekeepers and meeting your needs
This method is appreciated by every beekeeper who wants to rear their own quality queens but doesn't want to undergo demanding grafting. It eliminates work with a magnifying glass, grafting tool, and the risk of damaging larvae during transfer. Because the larvae are not manually manipulated, they don't get chilled or unnecessarily stressed, which usually results in higher acceptance rates of queen cells. The system thus saves time and nerves and brings reliable results even to less experienced breeders.
Main features and well-designed construction
The construction is designed for easy use in practice. The integrated queen excluder keeps the queen safely in the space designated for egg-laying, while nurse bees have constant access to her. The front cover allows feeding and ongoing care, the rear cover serves to press the queen cell for comfortable manipulation. Regulation of the queen's entry into the cell system is solved using practical plugs in the covers.
Technical specifications
| Purpose | Queen rearing without the need for grafting |
| Material | Quality plastic construction with transparent covers |
| External dimensions | 130 × 147 mm |
| Thickness including cover | 30 mm |
| Number of cells for egg-laying | 110 pcs |
Professional grafting system for easier queen bee rearing
Rearing your own queen bees is a path for beekeepers to greater self-sufficiency, better genetic control, and stable colony productivity in the long term. This well-designed grafting system significantly simplifies the entire procedure and makes queen rearing accessible even to less experienced breeders. It allows you to obtain healthy and vital queens without lengthy, delicate manual work with larvae.
Why choose this system
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Without manual grafting: Eliminates work with grafting tools and transferring tiny larvae from comb. This is especially appreciated by beekeepers with weaker eyesight or less steady hands – the work is faster, more precise, and gentler on breeding material.
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Uniform larval age under control: You don't need to laboriously select the "right" larvae and estimate their age. Thanks to the known laying time from the breeder queen, you get larvae of the same age, which has a positive effect on the quality of future queens.
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Gentle and safe manipulation: Larvae remain in their original plastic cups and only the cups are transferred during work. This minimizes the risk of damage, drying out, or chilling during manipulation.
Technical specifications of the set
| Set component | Dimensions and specifications |
|---|---|
| Queen cell cup | outer diameter 10 mm, height 10 mm, inner diameter 8 mm |
| Queen cup holder | ivory color, diameter 12/17/22 mm, height 18 mm |
| Base holder | base board dimension 26 × 22 mm, height 12 mm |
| Nursery cage | compatible with queen cup holder, 10 pcs per package |
| Frame for egg-laying | number of cells 110, external dimensions 130 × 147 mm, thickness including cover 30 mm |
Step-by-step queen rearing guide
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Preparation of breeding frame: Insert the plastic frame with inserted cups (110 pcs) into a regular wooden frame. Depending on the type of hive and habits, you can screw it to the top bar into a cut-out opening in drawn comb, incorporate it into a partition during wiring, or temporarily secure it with rubber bands or string. Bees will soon firmly attach the frame and naturally integrate it into the hive.
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"Polishing" by bees: Place the prepared frame (including the transparent cover with queen excluder) into the colony for 2–3 days. Bees will coat the plastic with a thin layer of wax and propolis – thus treating the frame, "scenting" it, and accepting it better.
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Isolation of breeder queen: Lightly brush the queen with honey from the queen excluder side. In a gentle and productive colony, find the breeder queen, insert her through the front opening into the plastic frame and close it. The queen cannot pass through the narrow passages out, but workers can pass through, be in contact with her, and continuously feed her.
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Egg-laying check: Place the frame in the center of the brood nest between combs with open brood. The queen usually fills 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 bees continue to warm the laid eggs.
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Larval check: On the fourth day, remove the frame, carefully brush off the bees, and check the hatched larvae (after approximately 72 hours, they lie at the bottom of the cell in a slight curve). A gentle sheen around the larva against the light usually indicates that it is in royal jelly and is being properly fed.
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Assembly of grafting bar: On a warm day (or in a warm room), remove the rear cover. Remove the plastic cups with larvae and insert them into yellow holders. Then snap them into base holders that you have previously attached to grafting bars at 28–40 mm spacing.
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Insertion into cell builder colony: Transfer the grafting frame into a prepared queenless colony, or into a honey super separated from the brood chamber by a solid divider. Ideally, insert it 30–60 minutes after dequeening so that 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.
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Caging and emergence: On days 14–15 from egg-laying, cage mature queen cells by sliding a cylindrical nursery cage onto the cup holder. Add a small amount of candy paste or crystallized honey to the cage as first food. The young queen usually emerges on day 16.
