228 



July, 1916. 



American Hee Journal 



In the August number of our Journal 

 for 1912, we gave a cut of Dr. Miller's 

 method of securing a large number of 

 queen-cells from one comb in a strong 

 queenless colony. We reproduce it 

 here, for the benefit of the novices- 

 The colony containing the breeding 

 queen is supplied with one or more 

 frames of foundation or of new comb, 

 cut into strips to secure plenty of 

 edges, since the bees build queen-cells 

 in preference on the edges of the 

 combs. As soon as the queen has 

 filled one of these combs with eggs, it 

 is placed in the center of a strong col- 

 ony after depriving it of its queen and 

 of most of its young brood. It is well 

 to trim the edges of this comb with a 

 sharp knife, as during the repairing the 

 bees are the more likely to build a 

 great number of queencells. This is 

 '■he best method of rearing queencells 



the operation was successful. If not, 

 and the bees have reared queencells of 

 their own brood, destroy these and 

 give them a cell from the second batch. 

 September is a fine time to requeen 

 an apiary. By this time the honey flow 

 is about over in most northern or cen- 

 tral localities, and few colonies with a 

 fall-hatched queen will swarm the fol- 

 lowing season if properly handled. In 

 the way above described the queen is 

 mated from the hive in which she is to 

 remain, and the beekeeper is saved 

 further trouble except to make sure 

 that colonies where the queen fails to 

 return from her mating trip are prop- 

 erly supplied with another queen. For 

 this purpose it is well to have a few 

 queens reared in nuclei. The nuclei 

 made for queen-rearing are usually 

 united together or to some neighbor- 

 ing colony just before winter. 



Colonies which are rearing queen 

 cells must be strong and well supplied 

 with honey. Queen-cells must be han- 

 dled carefully and placed as near the 

 center of the brood-nest as possible so 

 as not to be neglected. The colony 

 from which a young queen is to mate 

 must be closely watched to ascertain 

 when the queen is laying. 



SiJ 



--•if:^-M\::^-r?sn^- 1. "•,>!«!.■ T't ;5;f»i: 



FIG. I -FRAME OF CELL-CUPS READY FOR THE LARV.E 



naturally in comparatively large num- 

 bers from your choice queens. The 

 process may be repeated as often as 

 necessary. Usually we repeat it in 

 about five days in order to have fresh 

 queencells to replace the ones which 

 may have accidentally been destroyed 

 in inserting them in colonies. 



When the cells are nearly mature, 

 usually nine days after the operation 

 just mentioned, open the colony and 

 count the queencells. One cell, of 

 course, must be left in this colony- 

 The others may all be used in requeen- 

 ing colonies of undesirable stock. 

 Make as many colonies queenless as 

 you have cells to spare, during the 

 afternoon of that ninth day. The next 

 morning, carefully cut out each of 

 these cells with a sufficient amount of 

 comb to make sure that the cell itself 

 will not be injured and insert it care- 

 fully in the center of a brood-comb in 

 each queenless colony. Within five 

 days you may readily ascertain whether 



Breed from the Best 



If you can buy better stock than you 

 now have, your first step toward im- 

 provement is to buy a tested queen of 

 that stock — perhaps still better two or 

 more untested queens. You may as 

 well have all the advantages of the im- 

 provements that others have made. 

 But you are not to stop at that. It is 

 only a first step. With that as a start, 

 you are to begin a ceaseless effort 

 toward further improvement, which 

 effort is only to end with the end of 

 your life. 



You must know your stock, must 

 know each colony, and i/ie most imJ>oi-- 

 tant thing to know is the amount of 

 honey each colony gives you as surplus. 

 No indefinite guessing about it, but 

 you must put down in black and white 

 each pound of honey you take from 

 each colony throughout the season. 

 You may be surprised to find how great 

 the variation, and especially at the 

 small amount you get from the poorest 

 colonies. Like enough you will find 

 that the best colony gives at least five 

 times as much as the poorest. 



Suppose you have five colonies, and 

 from them you get in a given season 

 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100 pounds, an average 

 of 60 pounds to the colony. Then in- 



FIG. 2.— FINISHED CELLS BY THE DOOLITTLE METHOD 



