READERS’ TIPS


Homemade one-handed queen catcher Richard Oliver, Wiltshire


I have to confess this isn’t my own idea – I picked it up from someone else on a National Diploma in Beekeeping course, although I’m afraid I can’t remember the innovator. Whoever it was, I am very grateful and am happy to pass on this tip for making and using a queen-catching device that works beter than anything I have ever bought. The main advantage is that the queen can be isolated without being handled.


To make the queen catcher, you need a standard hair-curler type queen cage. You also need a short length of thin, round elastic (an elastic band will do – at a stretch!). The final component is a wooden ball with a diameter of about 2.5cm. The cedar balls sold to freshen clothes drawers and deter clothes moths are ideal and very cheap to buy online.


The trickiest part of making the queen catcher is drilling a small hole through the centre of the ball – across the grain. This is easy if you have a vice and a pillar drill, otherwise it might take one or two atempts to drill a nice hole through the very centre of a ball. Whatever you do, make sure the ball is securely clamped in something when drilling and DO NOT hold it with your fingers!


Thread the piece of elastic through the hole and tie each end to the mesh walls of the queen cage. The elastic should be tight enough to hold the ball securely over the open end of the queen cage, but slack enough to allow the ball to be easily moved to one side.


forefinger. As soon as she is in the cage, roll the ball over the open end, shuting her inside. She can then be put into a pocket, though I prefer to leave her on top of the frames where she can be atended by workers and is not so easily forgoten when you close up!


To catch the queen, find the frame with the queen on it. With one hand hold the frame horizontally with the lug propped against your chest. With the queen catcher in your other hand, guide the queen into the cage with your


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