JZ BZ Wide Base Cell Cups 100 Pack
100 wide-base plastic queen cell cups by JZ-BZ. Available in multiple colors for color-coding different queen lines, graft dates, or genetic groups. Ask about current color availability when you visit.
- Wide base gives nurse bees easy access to developing queen
- Multiple colors available — color-code queen lines, graft dates, or genetics
- Compatible with all JZ-BZ cell bars and queen rearing frames
- 100 cups per pack
What it is
100 wide-base plastic queen cell cups from JZ's BZ's — the pack size most queen rearers start with. Wide base refers to the cup's bottom: compatible with the cell bars JZ's BZ's and most other queen rearing systems use.
What they're for
Queen cell cups are the template you graft larvae into when you're raising queens. A 24-hour-old larva is transferred with a grafting tool from a donor colony into the bottom of the cell cup. The cup goes on a cell bar, the cell bar into a queenless cell builder colony, and the bees draw the cup into a full queen cell over 10 days.
Why plastic cups vs. wax
Plastic cups are reusable, consistent in size, and ship flat without melting in transit. Wax cups require dipping a form and melting beeswax — practical for a hobbyist, not for operations grafting 50+ queens at a time.
Compatibility
The JZ's BZ's wide base is the common standard — compatible with their cell bar and with most modern queen rearing systems. Not compatible with Jenter or Nicot systems, which use their own proprietary cup designs.
Usage notes
A soft-bristle grafting brush or a Chinese grafting tool transfers the larva; don't handle the cup directly after cleaning since residual handling can reduce bee acceptance. Bees typically accept 60–80% of grafts from a well-run cell builder.
