726 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Sept. 1 



much larger pieces of comb have to be used 

 in preparing- a batch than is the case when 

 the cocoons are transferred. 



WOODEN CUPS. 



A, cell-bar; B, B, cell-blocks; D, D, saw- 

 kerfs, or slots; C, flat-headed tacks. 



These cups should be made of hard wood, 

 and polished inside; and by dipping them 

 in melted wax until the inside is coated 

 they can be used for the transfer of larva; 

 without cocoons, and will be accepted and 

 the cells completed. 



It is claimed that the ripe cells built out 

 from blocks are more readily accepted when 

 given to bees unprotected, which, no doubt, 

 is due to the fact that they can be separated 

 and inserted between the combs without any 

 disfiguration of any of the work done by 

 the bees, rather than aftording protection 

 to the portion of the cells on which the at- 

 tack is usually made. 



By having the holes in the blocks large 

 enough, plugs of wax can be used, and the 

 cups formed by pressing forming-sticks into 

 them while the wax is soft, and make sinks 

 or contracted bases for the transfer of the 

 cocoon ; but they do not equal the dipped 

 cups for this purpose, as there is little or 

 no elasticit}' about them. Every thing con- 

 sidered, there is nothing yet devised that 

 equals the dipped cups for the reception of 

 larvse; and this illustration is given to meet 

 a possible demand for an arrangement for 

 the use of blocks that are conveniently at- 

 tachable and detachable, besides being ad- 

 justable to the whole system here given. 



The clamp here shown for the adjustment 

 of a nursery, when one so desires, has been 

 superseded by the hook and-staple-arrange- 

 ment shown in the other pictures. 



TESTING THE SWARTHMORE NUCLEUS=BOXES. 



A Later Form of the Swarthmore Queen=mating 

 Boxes. 



BY FR. GREINER. 



Mr. Editor: — In an article I wrote last 

 winter for your journal I made the state- 

 ment that the costly part of queen-rearing 

 was the maintaining of nucleus colonies; 

 that I had tried some different methods to 

 cheapen the cost, also the Swarthmore 

 method, but that I had not found any thing 

 more satisfactory than the regular nucleus 

 plan, using the ordinary brood-frame as 

 used in the apiary. A description of the 

 Swarthmore method may be found in this 

 journal for 1901 and in the Ainericufi Bee 

 Journal, same 3'ear. Myself and others 

 followed the instructions given, but it seems 

 we failed in making it work to our satisfac- 

 tion. It seems even Swarthmore has come 



to the conclusion that the plan he then ad- 

 vocated was not a success. However, in a 

 private letter Mr. Pratt wrote me early in 

 the spring he said that he still thought it 

 practical to use a handful of bees for our 

 purpose rather than be to the expense of 

 keeping strong nucluei, and he induced me 

 to give his improved plan an impartial tri- 

 al. I have done so. His improved method 

 differs in several ways from the one de- 

 scribed last year. He now uses two 4 '4 X 

 \)i frames for his miniature nuclei. For- 

 merly' he used but one. Then the little 

 hives are set up separately, and with am- 

 ple space between them to prevent the bees 

 from running together and to make it prac- 

 tical to feed the colonies when necessary. 

 Mr. Pratt has also devised some means to 

 stock up his nuclei with bees. This is a 

 success, and is very handy. He will un- 

 doubtedly speak about this himself. 



The season during June was very unfa- 

 vorable here for queen-rearing on account 

 of continuous rain, and I did not deem it 

 best to do any thing in that line till Jul}'. 

 When my queen-cells were ready, behold, 

 the honey season was already at an end. I 

 anticipated trouble in the line of robbing 

 when setting up the little nuclei, but every 

 thing went lovely. Ten of the twelve nu- 

 clei pulled through in good order. The 

 other two might have been made a success 

 with a little more watchfulness and stock- 

 ing up again with bees. These things 

 have to be learned. Next time I shall 

 know more about it. From the ten success- 

 ful little hives I took eight queens. Two 

 lost theirs on the mating-trip or otherwise, 

 and were again supplied with cells or 

 young virgins. For an experiment I am al- 

 lowing one of the nuclei to rear a queen from 

 the brood of their removed mother, to see 

 what such a queen will amount to, and I 

 may speak of this at some future time. 



In justice to Mr. Pratt I feel that I should 

 report my trial to the readers of this jour- 

 nal. I am of the opinion that the Swarth- 

 more method is practical during the warm- 

 er part of the season at least. It may in- 

 volve a little more trouble, require more 

 watchfulness, and some feeding and re- 

 stocking of the nuclei if they should run 

 low in bees at any time. But when it is 

 possible, by breaking up one colony to form 

 fifty nuclei instead of the usual five, there 

 occurs quite a saving which is well worth 

 looking after. 



It is evident that all queen-cells must be 

 built and kept in strong colonies till the 

 queens have emerged, or about that time. 

 I have noticed that when queen-cells at the 

 critical time have been allowed to become 

 chilled they may hatch; but the resulting 

 queens will usually have crippled or de- 

 formed wings. This is obvious when we 

 consider that the wings of the insect are 

 developed at the last end of the pupa stage, 

 and when a cell at this period becomes 

 cold the development is interrupted, and 

 seems to result in deformed wings. 



In stocking up Swarthmore nucleus-box- 



