Nicot protective cage (hair roller)

Nicot “hair roller” protective cage

This “hair roller” protective cage is widely used in beekeeping to isolate a queen cell or queen bee. It is often used as a simple temporary holder for a queen bee, for example when moving her or when rearing queens in an incubator.

In the Nicot system, the hair roller cage fits tightly onto the holder and is sealed with a small cap on the reverse side. Using these hair rollers ensures full protection for the queen cell or queen bee, while the openings allow bees to care for the queen inside the hair roller and spread her scent through the hive for introduction. During the first hours of the queen bee’s life, feed (candy) can be placed inside the cage in the cap.

Height of the “hair roller” cage: 70mm

Hot water can be used to clean parts of the Nicot system, but please note that wax melts at 65°C, and the plastic used in the Nicot system may deform at 75°C (according to the manufacturer - Nicot, France).

Manufacturer: S.A.S. NICOTPLAST, Maisod, France ( Nicot ™, Nicot, France).

In the video, we show you one way to use Nicot protective cages together with the Nicot queen rearing system. The hair rollers are placed over mature queen cells to protect the young queen bee that will emerge from the queen cell. The video also shows several bees being placed into the cage with the queen cell to tend the queen cell and the emerged queen bee.