tHE BEB-KEEPERS* REVIEW 



151 



fore many bees escape, which they are 

 anxious to do. 



Re^tjardless of the kind of hive used, 

 there shoidd be a cloth over the frames 

 before putting on tlie top, so that it can 

 be genth' rolled back and the bees smok- 

 ed, until the spaces are reached, to avoid 

 their escape. 



The greatest number of cups I have 

 ever given was thirly-six, and have had 

 as many accepted. 



Usually I prepare the bees about 9:00 

 o'clock, a. m., give them the cups at i :oo 

 to 3:00 o'clock, p. m., and wait until the 

 next morning to remove them. 



Mr. \V. S. Pender of Australia, allows 

 queenless bees to work on one batch two 

 or three hours, and then gives another, 

 and so on, but, as I know they will ac- 

 cept as many as two batches all right, late 

 in the evening they and adhering bees 

 can be given to cell builders, and the bal- 

 ance setback over the excluder, ready for 

 the same operation the next day, or when- 

 ever desired. 



At this date (April 4) I am unable to 

 experiment and ascertain how short a 

 time the allowing of the cups with the 

 cell starters will suffice, but, of course, 

 Mr. Pender knows. 



When this stage is reached another 

 body should be filled with combs of 

 brood and placed over the excluder, and 

 the one just used for the cell starters put 

 on it when it is returned. Then, when 

 the top one is set oflF to prepare the bees 

 for accepting cups, some can be shaken 

 from two or three combs of the one im- 

 mediateh- below it, which will be suf- 

 ficient to start the excitement. 



In ten or twelve more days, all of the 

 bees will have emerged from the top set 

 of combs, and all the brood in the second 

 set given will have been sealed, so that 

 the first set can be disposed of, another 

 set with brood prepared, and the second 

 set come into use in having cups accepted. 

 At these intervals the giving of brood 

 and removing of combs can be kept up 

 during the season, and the bees worked 

 as descriVied daily, or nearly so. Every 

 time a new set is given those previously 



given should be examined for cells, and 

 the cells removed. 



The brood given keeps up a strong 

 force, although some bees are removed 

 each day with the cups to the cell build- 

 ers. When no honey is being stored the 

 colony should be daily fed a sufficient 

 quantity of syrup to fill the combs as the 

 brood hatches out. 



The main point to keep in view is, that 

 whether bees are confined, or made 

 broodless and queenless on their stand 

 with liberty to fly, they will accept cups 

 in a few hours after the queen and all 

 unsealed brood are taken from them. 



In preparing a hive to have cells built 

 above an excluder, with a laying queen 

 below, the excluder should be nailed to 

 the top body, and have a bee-space be- 

 tvveen that and the frames above and be- 

 low. If the hive is wide enough to take 

 ten frames and a division board, a tight 

 fitting board can be tacked in the center, 

 to the excluder, and form two apart- 

 ments, holding five combs each, thereby 

 doubling the capacity of the colony for 

 cell building, without ever taxing it to 

 feed more than the usual number at any 

 one time, by giving a batch of accepted 

 eups in the center of one apartment, be- 

 tween two combs of either sealed or un- 

 sealed brood, and as soon as they are 

 sealed, say five days later, place another 

 in the other. This gets it into working 

 order, and one batch can be removed and 

 another given every five days. 



Whenever cells are built by queenless 

 bees, if nuclei are to be formed, a sufiici- 

 ent number of combs of brood and the 

 adhering bees should be placed under 

 them as soon as they are sealed, to fur- 

 nish at least one comb for each cell. 

 Just before the time of hatching, the cells 

 should have a nursery slipped over them, 

 and then the nuclei can be formed and 

 (lueens given as fast as they hatch; or, 

 say twice a day, as all will not hatch at 

 once. No doubt it is better to form the 

 nuclei late in the evening, so that the 

 bees will become accustomed to their 

 changed conditions before they can fly. 



