From: Joe Latshaw Subject: Re: QUEEN INCUBATOR PLANS Any Poultry supply catalog supplies a simple thermostat for about $12, they also carry a very nice little poultry incubator for about $30. The incubator holds 42 standard chicken eggs so it will be more than able to handle 30 queens. Joe From: "George W.D. Fielder" Subject: Re: QUEEN INCUBATOR A comment on the thread of Queen Incubators. I use a Koolatron (brand name for an automatic food cooler). It is available for around $150 Canadian. It is made to keep food either hot or cold, plugs into a car's cigarette lighter or a.c. with an adapter. The better models have a built-in thermostat so is quite convenient especially for transporting queen cells. However you must calibrate the thermostat but once set usually performs well for me. I insert a thermometer through a small hole drilled in the insulated lid to calibrate and leave it there since I like to monitor it from time to time Like someone mentioned water in a pan inside is a good idea. I prefer to use a wet towel since it does not slop around while traveling. Use warm water. ....... george From: Trevor Weatherhead Subject: Re: Queen incubators Ken Black asks about designs for queen bee incubators. I use an incubator to hold queen cells over night. The same can be used to hatch queen bees. I obtained an old refrigerator from the local electrical store. I use an old refrigerator because it is already well insulated. I purchased a thermostat that is designed for a chicken incubator. This has less temperature variation than most other thermostats. The last thing you want is overrun on the heating cycle. I have two 60W light bulbs. Two because sometimes one blows and one will keep it going. I use rigid construction light bulbs as these last longer than normal household light bulbs. I have a thermometer inside and a digital one with a thermocouple for outside reading. I used to have a small computer fan for circulation but after this failed, and actually caused extra heating in the incubator, I never replaced it. I felt that the convection currents from the heat of the light bulbs gave enough circulation. A tray with water in the bottom helps keep the humidity up. A tip. If you want one for 30 queens, make it for 60. You will be sorry later if you don't. Trevor Weatherhead AUSTRALIA From: Kelley Rosenlund Subject: Re: QUEEN INCUBATOR PLANS At 09:36 AM 11/13/93 +0000, Capt Ken Black wrote: >Has anyone got plans for manufacturing a 30 queen incubator I have a few >ideas. I am looking for a thermostat at the moment and have been considering >reptile breeding tanks etc. Hey there, Go to your local feed and seed store and ask for a replacement themostat for a chicken egg incubator. It is an expandable hollow cylinder filled with alchohol(sp) that as it expands it engages a switch. I hope to make one this winter for my spring splitting. I was thinking of using an ice box for the housing with a metal plate laying on the bottom. This plate would have several 5-10 watt resistors attached for the heating element. It would be a 12 volt setup so I could plug it into the truck cigarette lighter while apiary bound. I like queen cell protectors so near the top of the of the cooler would be an aluminum or plastic plate with holes drilled in it so the protectors would just fit. Threaded rods would connect the top & bottom. No modifications are made to the ice box (except possibly for the power cord) so the ice box could be used for those hot Florida summers! By the way. They now make ice boxes/heaters that plug into your cigarette which could be modified for this. They cost $40 to 60 though. Good luck...... God Bless, Kelley Rosenlund rosenlk@freenet.ufl.edu Gainesville, Florida, U.S.A., Phone:352-378-7510 200 hives, almost 2 years in beekeeping. 8 frame deeps,shallows. From: Allen Dick Organization: The Beekeepers Subject: Re: QUEEN INCUBATOR PLANS > Has anyone got plans for manufacturing a 30 queen incubator I have a > few ideas. I am looking for a thermostat at the moment and have been > considering reptile breeding tanks etc. We use a commercial chicken egg incubator made from expanded polystyrene. Cost was about $100 CAD (43 pounds Sterling). Any single stage incubator is only as stable in temperature as the room in which it is located. For *real* stability, a unit with double walls and two regulator/heater arrangements is necessary IMO. However this unit works fine if the ambient is controlled at all. We use it in the truck with a small Statpower inverter for 110V power sometimes. The biggest hazard is the sun. If it shines on the box at all, the temperature skyrockets. I've used an old fridge with a 60-100 Watt bulb for a heater and a commercial adjustable 110 VAC thermostat, however it was not entirely accurate either. Swings of 5 or more degrees F were *not* uncommon. I used a Radio Shack remote reading thermometer for reporting. It was quite accurate and responsive. An electronic fever thermometer is sufficiently accurate and reasonable responsive too. I think these temperature swings are why 92 degrees F is usually used rather than the 95.5 F that the bees themselves use. Slightly cool temps are less harmful than even short term overheating of several degrees. IMO anyhow. Regards Allen W. Allen Dick, Beekeeper VE6CFK RR#1, Swalwell, Alberta Canada T0M 1Y0 Internet:dicka@cuug.ab.ca & allend@internode.net Honey. Bees, & Art