760 



Journal of Agriculture, Victoria. [10 Dec, 1912. 



be of sufficient strength other strong ones may be made by exchanging 

 queens between colonies with old queens and strong colonies with younger 

 ones. 



To have all the queen-cells mature at the same time, so as to be able 

 to leave them where they are raised till the day before they hatch, it is 

 necessary for the young larvae from which the queens are to be raised to 

 be all of the same age. This is not a difficult matter for any one knowing 

 from experience the size of the grubs at different ages. At eighteen 

 hours old, they are of about the size of the small c of ordinary type and 

 will hatch on the twelfth day. For the purpose of obtaining larvae of 

 the right age in sufficient numbers, I do not find it necessary to insert an 

 empty comb into the brood chamber of the colony with the selected queen, 

 because, at a time suitable for queen rearing, sufficient larvae for the pur- 

 pose should be in every hive. To obtain the larvae I cut a piece, four to 

 six inches long and the width of three rows of cells, out of a comb in a 





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fifj 





asaa^^^*^ ».ui»r-^S 







2. QUEEN CELLS GROUPED IN COMB. 



suitable place. By cutting it again through the middle row of cells two 

 single rows are obtained. These are fastened with liquid wax cell end on, 

 to a thin strip of wood. The open row of cells is then cut down to half 

 the depth (Fig. i) by means of twirling a wooden match head first into 

 the surplus larvae. Those of the wrong age and any eggs which may be 

 pre.sent are removed, leaving as far as possible one larva of the right age 

 in every third cell. These strips of comb are then fixed in gaps cut into 

 a comb and given to queenless bees for 6 to 12 hours to mould queen-cups 

 round the larvae. They are then fitted into an outside brood comb of the 

 superseding colonies. 



When the cells are sealed the strips may be remo\ed and grouped into 

 a comb, as shown in Fig. 2. This is placed into the super of a strong 

 colony over a queen excluder where they may remain till distributed in 

 cell protectors to nuclei about the tenth or eleventh day after they are 

 started. Started queen-cells may again be given to the colonies which 



