Beekeeping Queen Castle - Expanding your Apiary

In this video, I discuss how to build a cost effective honeybee queen castle, the in’s and out’s of timing a 2 frame Nuc, and how to increase your rate of return of mated queens. I show how we use the double screen bottom method with each box.

[@mab0852]

Corey is a genius. The plastic playing cards are a fantastic idea.

[@Ashby_Farms_NC]

She says thanks! And I agree she’s a keeper!

[@stevenaamos]

Great tip on the angle of the entrance and the playing cards! Really enjoy your videos. I'm a second year beekeeper just west of Charlotte.

[@Ashby_Farms_NC]

You welcome! And welcome to the club!

[@markmiller4047]

nice to see somebody doing the same thing I'm doing only different is I run 3 frame I allso sometimes lev the nucs and put a queen excluder on and let them build comb and the last ones I put ontop a dubble deep for overwinter. Also nipple feeders work grait for the last ones u can get them from Brian at castle hive

[@Ashby_Farms_NC]

Thanks for the info!

[@TheFarmacySeedsNetwork]

Excellent design and walkthrough! Thanks!

[@Ashby_Farms_NC]

Thanks for the compliment!

[@JoesphEKerr]

Foody-broody - That's goody

[@Ashby_Farms_NC]

Lol

[@joetripp123]

i made something similar, but I had the dividers taller and has 4 separate lids with a hole and screen each. There is a telescoping cover over the whole thing. However the bees propolized the screens almost entirely. I'm curious if that happens to you as well. Thanks.

[@Ashby_Farms_NC]

We started using porch screen over the tops. We don’t have an inner cover but use migratory lids. The porch screen works great

[@davidgarner3071]

Interesting. Thanks

[@Ashby_Farms_NC]

Your welcome. Thanks for watching!

[@bradyjames2786]

Do you do any grafting yourself for your splits?

[@Ashby_Farms_NC]

Yes, we (myself and Cori) only graft from our own high-scoring UBeeO and Harbo Assay breeder queens

[@amfarmsllc5624]

I’ve done the cards for many years on my queen castles. People would see them and ask why is there an ace of spades on that box!

[@Ashby_Farms_NC]

Same!

[@davidsoloninka7742]

How do u feed the bee’s when they r in the queen castle?
Thx

[@Ashby_Farms_NC]

We don’t. Take a frame split with enough food that they don’t starve

[@kathyhathaway8823]

Looks an sounds like it is working out great. Just found your site . You said central what town ?? I am central also . THANKS

[@Ashby_Farms_NC]

Were in/around Burlington NC

[@kathyhathaway8823]

@@Ashby_Farms_NC that sounds great. I am in Asheboro