Mass Rearing of Apis cerana F. Queen

The conditions that determine the success of mass rearing of Apis cerana F. queens were studied. It was found that artificial queen cell cups with the internal diameter of 6.2mm at base 8.6mm at the mouth and 8.8mm depth were highly preferred by the bees for rearing of queens from the grafted larvae. Likewise, the wax obtained from old comb foundation was preferred over fresh comb foundation. Maximum acceptance was recorded for 12 and 6 number of larval grafts. High percentage and mean volume of queen cells was obtained from 12-6hr. old grafts. However, no significant differences were observed between grafts and those provided with royal jelly. The same was true for single and double grafts. The percentage acceptance was in the order: March, April, August, and September.