ILLINOIS STATE BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION 



155 



Moved and seconded, carried, that 

 the report be accepted. 



President Miller — The next is the 

 election of officers. 



We might have the demonstration 

 by Mr, Stanley. 



Mr. Stanley — Mr. President, Ladies 

 and Gentlemen: I prepare the strong 

 colony by feeding it several days and 

 getting it in condition to accept cell; 

 then I remove the strong colony away 

 and put this in its place. I have it 

 in condition to start cells, and put this 

 in place of cells. I shake the bees 

 from comb of strong colony, and run 

 in the cell. These three combs are 

 supposed to be brood combs; no un- 

 sealed brood. The cells are already in 

 place just as they are; now, when I 

 run the bees in and, say I run them 

 in at four o'clock in the afternoon to- 

 day, tomorrow about ten or eleven 

 o'clock the cells are ready to be 

 grafted. 



After I run the queenless bees in 

 they will take these cells and cut them 

 down around the edge and polish them. 



It would not do to give them royal 

 jelly and larva when they first run in 

 but, when they realize they are queen- 

 less, you have much better looking 

 cells. 



After your bees are in, there is noth- 

 ing to be done unless you want to use 

 it in some outyard, but as a general 

 thing we want it in the home yard. 



If we should want to take it to an 

 outyard apiary, simply put the cover 

 on and open up the ventilators and 

 you can carry this anywhere. 



There is nothing to be done any 

 further until four or five days I look 

 them over. If everything is working 

 all right I should have twenty to 

 twenty- five cells, nice cells, about 

 ready to be sealed. Of course, now, 

 if there is a good honey flow, or in 

 about five days and the time they are 

 sealing these we will find sometimes 

 that they will attach comb to them 

 and we do not want that. 



Mr. Wheeler — You put an egg in 

 there after twelve hours? 



Mr. Stanley — Yes, about tw^elve 

 hours. 



And about the fifth day, when they 

 are about ready to be sealed, if they 

 are building comb on or anything like 

 that, we slip these right on (illustrat- 

 ing). They will not go further with 

 their comb — the bees can work through 



there and, on the 14th day, they should 

 be caged up until they are hatched. 



You can take this out to an out 

 apiary when you have use for it. 



To introduce virgin queens, a good 

 thing I find is to have a ilttle honey. 

 Carry it in your tool box — pour a little 

 honey on so as to get the queen's 

 wings stuck up — and drop her right 

 in. 



A member — How do you prepare a 

 colony when you first put the queen 

 in? 



Mr. Stanley — That was the first 

 thing I mentioned — feeding it several 

 days and getting it in condition — 

 shaking the bees at the entrance — 



Mr. Wheeler — Do you make them 

 queenless long before you shake them 

 in the front there? 



Mr. Stanley — No, I sometimes do not 

 make them queenless at all, but some- 

 times I do; it just depends — it does 

 not make much difference. 



Mr. Wheeler — Do you handle larva 

 with a toothpick when you put them 

 in the cell? 



Mr. Stanley — That is a good way; I 

 have a little transfer needle that is 

 a little better. In getting your royal 

 jelly — anyone sending out queens, it 

 is an easy matter to have lots of royal 

 jelly on hand. You can have a little 

 jar. I go through my colonics, find 

 where they have cells two or three 

 days old (not sealed) and I gather it 

 up and put it in my little jar and cork 

 it up; that is good for a month. It 

 will keep all right. 



For instance, I will do this today; 

 tomorrow, I want to use this; I will 

 put a little water to it and stir it up; 

 leave it on top the hive in the sun 

 so it will warm up, so it will not chill 

 the larva; then I take a brush and 

 put a little in and wipe the edge of 

 it off, and then transfer the larva right 

 into it. 



I can do a whole set in from seven 

 to nine minutes, but if you do not have 

 everything ready it will take longer. 



Mr. Wheeler — It takes good sight to 

 do that. 



Mr. Stanley — You soon get accus- 

 tomed to it — after you know what 

 you are looking for you know the age 

 of the larva. 



Mr. Kannenberg — How old would 

 you take the larva? 



Mr. Stanley — It should be just a 

 little larva, that you can see it plain. 



