Langstroth Queen Rearing Frame

01 · WHAT THE FRAME IS FOR

It organises the round; the colony does the work

It is the carrier on which a grafting round is mounted. Each bar takes up to 15 cell cups, and being removable you can prepare, check or pull one line without dismantling the other or handling cells more than necessary — which is where they get spoiled. It is worth leaving it in the cell builder a day or two before loading the cups, so it takes on the colony's scent. And what the frame does not do: acceptance depends on young larvae, enough nurse bees, nutrition and temperature. Filling all thirty slots does not make up for a builder short of nurses; moderate rounds are easier to follow and turn out better.

02 · VERTICAL SPACE DECIDES

With protectors or cages, one bar only

This is the limitation to know before ordering. The feeder along the top and the spacing between the two bars leave a tight vertical gap: enough for bare cells, not always for a roller cage over each one. With both bars loaded and protectors fitted, the frame may not close. The way to work then is to use a single bar and leave the other out — you lose half the round per batch, but the cells are protected. Before grafting, assemble one complete unit and check it closes: it takes a minute and saves finding out with the larvae already in.

03 · COMPATIBILITY AND HANDLING

Dry-fit the whole thing before grafting day

It carries both NICOT and JZBZ, but the cup and its holder must belong to the same system as each other — the frame does not make them compatible. Assemble everything dry before grafting day: checking the fit once the larvae are ready is too late. The bars are removable by design, so they run with some play in the frame; if one rattles as you move the frame, a thin wedge or a rubber band holds it steady for transport.

04 · BEFORE YOU BUY

The frame is the carrier only: it does not include cups, holders, rollers or protectors, which are chosen to match your system. It measures 48 × 23 cm, the Langstroth deep size, so it takes the place of an ordinary frame in the builder. And one calendar rule that saves whole rounds: do not mix days counted from the egg with days counted from grafting — note the date on each bar and always adjust by the real age of the larva.