i68 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



hive. The feed will have a stimula- 

 tive effect upon the queeu, and cause 

 her to at once fill the sheet of founda- 

 tion Avith eggs. I allow this sheet to 

 remain three days and a half, wheji 

 there will be just hatched larvae in 

 the center. I now take a strong col- 

 ony of blacks (as I find blacks to be 

 the best cell builders), find the queon, 

 and remove her Avith a frame of bi'ood 

 and bees to a nucleus. I now shako 

 all the bees into a new hive with 

 empty comb:^. and place on the olri 

 stand. The combs of brood are place<l 

 over a strong colony, with a queen-ex- 

 cluding honey-board below them. This 

 upper story will be the very best pos- 

 sible place for having the cells com 

 pleted. 



I now go to the breeding queen, 

 take out the comb of young larvae 

 and cut into strips al)out 10 inches 

 long. T have a Langslroth frame i)i\> 

 pared with two horizontal bars, lay 

 the edge of a strip to the center of 

 the wood bar, and, with a stiff tal)le 

 knife, rub it hard against the wood, 

 give it a quarter turn, and it will be 

 true in the frame. I destroy the lar- 

 vae in each alternate cell, and then 

 hang the frame in the queenless hive, 

 the bees of which are literally crying 

 for a queen. 



The result will be that each pre- 

 pared cell v'ill lie royally fed from 

 the very start. If honey is not com- 

 ing in freely. I feed a thin syrup: as 

 plenty too eat is one of the essentials 

 of good queen rearing. 



After 24 or 3(\ hours I remove the 

 cell-frame to the upper story of a pow- 

 ei-ful colony, placing it between two 

 frames of unsealed brood with a queen 

 excluder between the two stories, ana 

 the cell finishing goes merrily on. 



We can now give another frame of 

 brood to the queenless bees, thus 

 keeping each department of the work- 

 moving in rotation. 



On the twelfth day (not later) the 

 cells in the upper story should be cut 

 out. I do this with the small blade 

 of a pocket knife. 



But l)efore doing this, we must have 

 (/lu' nuclei ready. I pre]»are my nu- 

 cleus hives large enough to admit two 

 frames and a feeder. About sundown 

 I arrange my little nucleus hives, ano 

 at once begin to people them with one 

 franio of ha-chiug brood and one of 

 honey with all the adhering bees; l»e- 

 ing carpful not to get the (jueen. 1 

 screen them in till the next evening, 

 keeping them shaded well if the 

 weather is hot. 



I insert a cell in each nucleus, point 

 down, between the two combs, and 

 the (]ueen should hatch in from (! to 

 12 hours if everytliiug has worked 

 well. 



The young queens, if the flow is 

 good and the we;ither tine, will mat;' 

 and lay in from five to seven days. 

 Should the weather l)e indifferent, and 

 honey scarce, Ihey will not m;ite so 

 soon. 



However, it orders for (ineens are 

 coming in, and your virgins seem in no 

 hurry to mate, fill the division-board- 

 feeders witli thin, w.ann. sugar syru]i. 

 l!o this .about 10 o'clock in the morn- 

 ing of some clear day. Don't feed 

 honev, as it will induce robbers. This 

 feed works like a charm, and tht- 

 queens at once l(\'ive in se.-irch of a 

 sweet heiirt, are quickly mated, begin 

 ])roniptly to lay. and are ready 1o send 

 1o your (usli mcr. 



When you take :i (lueen from ;i nu- 

 cleus, it shor.ld be at oi'ce supp!i<Ml 

 Willi a rip<» cell. I he.-ir some one say: 

 "Give a ^'irgiu queen." This may do 

 if sh(> is v(M-y young, but .after twelv 

 houi's the introduction is .-luything but 

 pleas;! nt. I believe Alley does it liy 

 means of tob.-icco smok'^. l)ut tlu> cell- 

 method is far the sui'est. 



l>;ii-k Kidgo, N. C, April 1, 1000. 



