This page is credited in full to Dave Cushman who created it. His voice is expressed in black colour text and any additions or comments in blue belong to myself. Credit: Dave Cushman’s website.
PH.
Queen Cell Protectors Used In Beekeeping
Spiral wire protector
This is a simple and traditional method… It consists of two parts, the coil of wire and a square of tinplate that has its corners bent down at a slight angle. The tinplate can be slid in between the topmost two turns of the coil and serves to protect the base of the cell. If a cell has been formed on a plastic cell cup or some other substantial base then the tinplate can be left out.
The coils are pulled out slightly when used, but care should be taken to ensure that the gaps between turns are less than a wire thickness and are even all the way down the cell. The stub of wire that sticks out is pressed into the comb surface to anchor the device. As the diameter is rather more than a bare queencell it may be prudent to crush a few worker cell flat to the midrib to ensure that adequate numbers of workers are able to surround the cell in order to maintain the temperature.
Spiral Wire Queen Cell Protector
Queen cells are much narrower and do not have the same shape as the internal profile of the spiral. Be careful not to rattle the cell about inside the protector especially if it is several days until emergence is expected.
I have edited this page heavily. I cannot remember the last time I used one and I strongly suspect that the “protector ” is more a cell holder and enables the cell to be located on the comb. A good cell production system will address this issue.
PH