668 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Nov. 1 



I'lG. 2.— SCOOPING BEES WITH A SMALL DIPPER INTO BABY NUCLEI. 



previously wet down they can not fly very 

 readily, and can therefore be scooped up a la 

 Pratt and dumped in one of the compart- 

 ments as shown in Fig. 2. An attendant 

 stands ready with a number of virgin queens. 

 He removes one of the frames of one com- 

 partment, and, while Mr. Pritchard is scoop- 

 ing up a little dipperful of bees and dump- 

 ing them in the space made vacant by the 

 removal of the frame, he drops in a virgin 

 queen that had previously been dipped in 

 honey or syrup. He now puts in the re- 

 moved frame and folds back the enamel 

 cloth. The operation is repeated in the oth- 

 er compartment of the box, and so on the 

 process is continued until all of the twin 

 mating-boxes are filled with bees and virgin 

 queens. The baby hives are then set to one 

 side for about 48 hours, when they are 

 placed on their permanent stands for the 

 summer. Their entrances are opened at 

 night. The next morning, as the bees come 

 out they will mark their location and begin 

 housekeeping with their baby queen. 



After the baby nuclei are in full operation 

 Mr. Pritchard prefers to give ripe queen- 

 cells, as shown in Fig. 3, in place of virgins 

 given at first. The two frames are spread a 

 little apart when the cell is placed in posi- 

 tion and secured. 



It should have been stated that, at the 



time of forming these baby nuclei, a thick 

 syrup of about 2 '2 parts of sugar to one of 

 water is poured into the feeder compartment 

 at one side. At other times, if it is a little 

 cool it is given at night hot, when it will all 

 be taken up before morning. This feeding 

 may be required off and on during the sea- 

 son. In some years the baby nuclei will 

 gather enough to supply their own needs. 

 At other times they require a little help. 



Mr. Pritchard prefers to give these nuclei 

 ripe queen-cells rather than virgins just 

 hatched. Our Mr. Bain, at our home yard, 

 keeps his cells in a large hive, hatches them 

 out, and lets the virgins run into the boxes. 

 Mr. Pritchard thinks that, for him at least, 

 there is too large a loss in introducing vir- 

 gins and too much time taken to get them 

 into the hive. When a cell is given, he says, 

 the young mother-to-be hatches out and is 

 always kindly received. 



These little twin nuclei serve only the pur- 

 pose of mating. No cells are reared in them, 

 and the comparatively small number of bees 

 in each compartment makes it easy to find a 

 laying queen or a virgin if present. If in 

 doubt as to whether the nucleus has a vir- 

 gin, another cell is given; and even should 

 the virgin come back from her flight she will 

 take ;care of that cell by gnawing a hole in 

 its gJdP afld JiiJJing its occupant. Should she 



