Beekeepers, as usual, climbed all over the equipment, keen to see how it was all being done. A very sophisticated controller for the extractor meant that little direct supervision or changes to speed were required - it would go through a preset routine to bring it to speed and through a full cycle. Finally, frames came out of the extractor and back into the boxes. Beekeepers also spent plenty of time looking over the equipment and supplies on display from Ceracell and Mahurangi. Meiosis, the 'splitting' of the pairs, results in some crossing over and recombinations.
Next problem is how to keep the various drone lines going.
John does this by reversing the lines used for the cells and drones by the yard - if mating A, B, C line cells, they go to a yard with X, Y, Z line drone mothers. The X, Y, Z cells go to a yard with A, B, C drone mothers. John stressed the need for an 'even' colony - consistent colouring, etc, before he will consider grafting from it. Otherwise the resulting daughters will not be consistent. In combination, they might make for a superior colony, but since the good characteristics may have come from a variety of drone sources, they will not breed true - the daughters will vary in colour, in hygenic behaviour, etc.