1901 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



743 



THE SWARTHMORE SYSTEM OF QUEEN- 

 REARING. 



Arrangement of the Fertilizing boxes for Mating 

 Numerous Queens in Full Colony on a Single 

 Stand; a Plan Particularly Adapted to Honey- 

 producers, and Those who wish to Rear Queens 

 for Their own Use. 



BY SWARTHMORE. 



Through the side boards and back end of 

 an ordinary Dovetailed hive-body cut several 

 pairs of holes to match the zinc covered holts 

 in the fertilizing-boxes — six on each side and 

 four in the back, or three on each side and 

 two in the back, according to the size of your 

 hive and the number of boxes you wish to at- 

 tach. If you object to cutting your regular 

 hives use any old half-depth super or extem- 

 porized hive-body. To bring the flight-holes 

 as far apart as possible, have the upper ones 

 up and the lower ones down. Oueens take no 

 notice of colors or odd forms. It is the little 

 cluster of anxiously waiting young bees that 

 attracts them. Thus an entrance arrange- 

 ment that separates the clusters is desirable. 

 Young queens vdll fly from three to four times 

 in a day, returning each time with the evi- 

 dence of having met a drone, often repeating 

 the performance for two and sometimes three 

 days. These are false contacts, and are easily 

 removed by the bees. The true connection 

 will show a fibrous substance much resem- 

 bling strands of fine flax when dry. This the 

 bees do not seem to remove, but it comes 

 away with the first eggs discharged, which, by 

 the way, are not deposited. A young queen 

 will begin laying on the second day after be- 

 coming pregnant. Many of the first ejjgs are 

 drone, and are rarely allowed to develop by 

 the bees. But I digress. 



54-inch holes bored through Dovetailed body, ready 

 for attaching fertilizing-boxes outside. 

 X, front board, no holes. 



Now adjust over each pair of holes a fertil- 

 izing-box. Hang the boxes on little wire 

 hooks so they may be easily removed at any 



time, or the back lids may be simply tacked 

 to the hive. Have, a little to the sides of each 

 box, small staples or screw-eyes to hold pieces 

 of stout cord for t) ing the boxes firmly to the 

 sides of the hive. 



Those living in a climate where the nights 

 are quite cool are advised to attach the boxes 

 to the inside walls of the hive, and to bore 

 single 34f.inch flight holes through the hive- 

 body to correspond with the >^-inch flight- 

 holes in the boxes. This practice is especially 

 desirable in early spring or late autumn ; also 

 during long rainy spells. To separate the 

 clusters, tack a plain 4^ X 4>( section box 

 about each flight-hole, on the outside walls of 

 the hive. 



FIG. 2. 

 FERTIUZING -BOXES IN PLACE ON DOVETAIL- 

 ED HIVE BODY. 

 F, flight-hole ; S, shell-cup queen-cell ; H H, hooks 

 to support box. 



After you have supplied each fertilizing-box 

 with one comb containing brood, mainly cap- 

 ped, as explained previously, attach one hatch- 

 ing cell to each comb (on the inside lid). A 

 shell cup may be slipped in through a hole in 

 the top-bar, as shown at S, Fig 2, at any time, 

 without the necessity of opening the boxes. 

 Put the boxes all in place on the outside of 

 the hive-body, and tie each one firmly. Fill 

 the hive-body with combs containing honey, 

 capped brood, etc. Bring the brood to the 

 outside walls to attract young bees into the 

 boxes. Unless the queen-cells are ripe^ many 

 may fail to hatch, on account of cool nights, 

 dampness, or insufficient bees to cover them ; 

 therefore it is far better to run just-hatched 

 virgin queens into each box. Cells hatched 

 in cages, inside the main hive, obviate the ne- 

 cessity of any special or intricate introduction 

 proceedings ; for, having hatched in the midst 

 of the bees, each queen is as much a part of 

 the colony as the bees themselves. Bees will 

 not deliberately destroy virgin or laying queens 

 if they are held apart from one another in 

 cages or fertilizing boxes ; but if a young lay- 

 ing queen is at large on the combs, every vir- 

 gin will be balled by the bees at 24 to 48 hours 

 of age. When the laying queen below is an 

 old one, however, virgins will be allowed to 

 live and mate, on the principle of supersedure. 



The Swarthmore nursery cage is especially 

 adapted to this system, as the bees can freely 

 enter the cages through the zinc side, and can 



