12 



THE REARING OF QUEEN BEES. 



DESCRIPTION OF CELL CUPS. 



It is much better to use a cell base artiliciall}" produced. These 

 cells can be luade of wax, or on wooden bases with a depression which 

 is filled with wax. They are just as readily accepted by the bees, and 

 because of uniformity and ease of handUng are much preferable. 



The Doolittle cell, made by molding- wax on a stick Avith rounded 

 end of the exact diameter of a queen cell, is very good and was proba- 

 bl}" the first artificial cell used in commercial queen rearing. The 

 molding stick is dipped in hot wax, and when one layer of wax is cool, 

 the process is repeated, each time the stick being dipped a shorter 

 distance. The result is a cup with thin edges and heavy base. Such 

 cells are also made by pressing out the wax in a mold. The cells are 

 then fastened to a bar with wax preparatory to introducing the larvte 

 (see fig. 1). 



Fig. 1.— Standard frame with bar of completed cells on wooden flanged cnjis and bar of Doolittle 



wax cells (original). 



Cups with wooden bases are now widel}^ used and have many adv^an- 

 tages over the wax cups, in that they can be transferred from one bar 

 to another without danger of breaking and can more readily be used 

 again after the queen has emerged. These cups are usually made of a 

 cylindrical piece of wood with a concave depression in one end which 

 is lined with wax. There is a nail point in one end which allows them 

 to be fastened to a bar by pressure (see fig. 2), or, better, there is a 

 flange at the upper end so that they can be put through holes bored 

 in the bar (see figs. 1 and 2). 



TRANSFERRING LARV^. 



Having procured the cells to be used, with the requisite bars, the 

 bee keeper is ready to transfer larvtv to these cells. Before being 



