590 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



July 15 



supply the holes in the series of top bars with 

 compressed shell cups. Now shake into the 

 hive-body a goodly number of bees that have 

 juht had their queen taken from them, and, 

 after placing in this hive combs containing 

 honey, pollen, and water, no brood, put on 

 the cell-starting screen. Then remove the 

 chamber to the honey -house, and leave the 

 bees thus confined until they are fully aware 

 of their absolutely queenless condition — per- 

 haps over one night. In the morning set the 

 hive close up to the bench, and proceed to 

 graft the shell cups. Begin at one corner ; 

 and as you draw the shell have ready a blank 

 to plug the hole, and so on, one at a time, 

 systematically, until each cup has been sup- 



At the end of 36 hours, place the hive on its 

 original stand ; collate the perfect cells and 

 fit the top-bars into the cage parts, slip in the 

 dividing-lins, adjust the zincs, and divide the 

 cages among powerful colonies, allowing no 

 more than 16 cells to a single colony. 



If cells are to be finished by queenless bees 

 they need not be caged until capped. 



For convenience in distributing cages, or in 

 getting at to remove a single queen, cell, or a 

 cageful of either, at any time, without dis- 

 turbance to the bees, or the use of smoke, 

 even, have several brood-frames constructed 

 with opan tops — that is, the regular top-bar of 

 a plain frame is dropped down about 2 inches, 

 and is there nailed fast to the end-bars. Two 



OPEN TOP FRAME WITH CAGE IN PI,ACE. 

 In the cut above, A shows shells in place ; B, shells removed ; D, zinc side ; E, wire side ; C, division-tins, 

 F, comb or foundation to fill the lower part of the frame. 



plied with a larva. Take all the time in the 

 work you wish. There is no need of hurry- 

 ing, for, even as you proceed, the bees are at 

 work constructing cells from the first cell- 

 cups grafted. 



Directly after grafting, fill a salt-shaker feed- 

 er with thin honey, and adjust it into the 

 hole shown at B, in the screen. Let no time 

 be lost between the removing of the blank 

 plug and the inserting of the shells or the feed- 

 er, lest too many bees escape. There is no 

 need of allowing even one bee to escape if the 

 apiarist is skillful. Leave the colony undis- 

 turbed until the cells are well under way. 

 Make examination toward evening by draw- 

 ing one shell at a time, marking any that have 

 failed, and the next morning new larvae can 

 be grafted into each shell marked. 



strips are then nailed edgewise across the top, 

 as distinctly shown in the drawing, thus form- 

 ing a frame with an open top, into which two 

 cages will fit nicely. Fill the lower section of 

 this frame with brood comb (or full sheets of 

 brood foundation can be used), and hang in 

 the midst of any powerful colony all ready to 

 receive nursery-cages at any time. When not 

 occupied by cages, fill the space with a block 

 of wood cut a little short so it may be easily 

 removed, even if covered with burr-comb. 



Cover the frames with an ordinary sheet 

 split in the middle so as to expose the shell 

 cups ; then when you want cells, simply draw 

 them — no smoke, no disturbance to the bees. 



[I do not hesitate to say that, in my opin- 

 ion, Swarthmore has devised a very simple 



